Signs and Silence
by ExiXIII
Summary: Anna met Elsa, a new employee in the office she works at. Elsa didn't talk to, much less acknowledge her co-workers, and Anna thought that the blonde was just giving everyone the cold shoulder. That is, until she learned something about Elsa that encouraged her to try a different method of communication. [story inspired by art (cover) by aspenaten - tumblr; M - later chapters]
1. Chapter 1

**- ONE -**

* * *

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _ANNA_ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

* * *

"Did you hear?" Kristoff said as he stood beside his redheaded best friend who was slaving away in front of her computer, trying to get the financial statement she was working on done. "There's going to be a new employee coming here."

Anna's eyes scanned the stack of papers just beside her computer's monitor and returned her gaze to the screen. She selected some cells in the spreadsheet and entered in some values. "Yeah, yeah, I heard." She said without looking away from the spreadsheet she was working on. Her eyes rescanned the stack of papers and statements on the desk and she continued to enter values in the spreadsheet's cells. "I think he or she's going to be here today."

News about the new employee spread around the office like wildfire when their Human Resource Manager, Megara Creon, told them about a new employee. Only the HR knew of their details, but she wouldn't share. The only bit of information that she divulged, however, was that their new co-worker was a foreigner, but she didn't say from what country. Megara drew enjoyment from keeping people guessing – especially if she was making Hercules wrack his brains.

"I wonder when we'll get to meet the new employee." Kristoff mused as he watched his best friend continue to work in front of her computer.

"I don't know." She answered then shot a brief sideways glance at Kristoff. She caught a small, elderly figure walking toward him. "But what I do know is that your big ass is in big trouble. Weasel alert."

Kristoff turned quickly and looked down to meet the gaze of their old boss, Duke Weselton. "H-hi boss." Kristoff stuttered as he rubbed the back of his head. Anna returned her gaze to the computer as to not attract the attention of her boss who already looked pissed off.

"What are you doing, slacking off and lazing around? Get back to work!" Mr. Weselton shouted and Anna saw Kristoff out of the corner of her eye, running back to his own cubicle. She had to stifle her laughter the whole time.

She shot a glance at the empty cubicle beside hers. There was a job opening that opened when her former co-worker got sacked after he was caught trying to steal the boss's antique pocket watch. Anna was relieved to have that menacing men get fired because she was always intimidated by his presence. Now, she was both eager and anxious to meet the new employee – eager because she could meet new people and anxious because there is the possibility that they might be horrible people.

Her phone which lay on top of her cubicle vibrated and flashed. She picked it up and stared at the new message icon which had appeared onscreen. She swiped her finger across the screen and it showed a message – one from Kristoff. It said: _What time is it?_

Sighing, she typed in her reply. _Kris, there's a clock on your computer screen. There's a clock on your phone. There's a clock on the goddamn wall. _She hit send.

A moment later, she received another message from her annoying co-worker. _I know._

Her thumbs flew over the digital keypad as she composed her reply. _Then why do you ask me for the time if you can just look at a clock?_

Kristoff's message arrived a moment later. _Work's boring the hell out of me._

_Well you have to suck it up because it's month-end and the weasel is going to whip your ass if you're not doing anything._

_Oh come on, miss uppity. Since when did you get so cranky? By the way, who _is _that? The girl Meg's talking to?_

Anna turned around in her seat and found the brunette Human Resource Manager greeting another girl. The girl Megara was talking to was dressed in corporate attire. She stood tall and pale, her lustrous platinum-blonde hair styled in a braid and her windswept bangs slicked over the top of her head. There were light, almost invisible freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose, a rosy pink blush coloring her pale cheeks, and her eyes were a startling arctic blue.

She returned her gaze at the screen of her phone and typed her message. _I think that's the new girl. _She hit send and turned around in her seat to watch the blonde girl again. Megara gestured to the empty cubicle beside Anna's and the redhead watched as the blonde's hips swayed in a mesmerizing fashion as she gracefully walked toward the vacant cubicle. She took note of the slightest curl of the blonde's red, pouty lips and the deep purple eye shadow the blonde lady wore.

Anna's phone vibrated in her hand and that snapped her out of her staring fit. She glanced at the screen to find another of Kristoff's messages. _Anna, you're staring._

Anna mentally facepalmed herselfas she composed her reply: _Thanks for the heads-up, captain obvious. I was just admiring how pretty she was. _She thought about how that would sound if Kristoff had read that, so she revised her message. _In a totally non-lesbian way. _She then hit send.

Moments later, she received Kristoff's reply. _Women do that?_

"BJORGMAN!" The voice of Duke Weselton resonated across the room. "GET BACK TO WORK!"

Anna chuckled as she typed her reply. _Don't say I didn't warn you. _She put her phone back in her pocket and shot a sideways glance towards the cubicle beside hers. The new blonde girl was now sitting in the cubicle, typing away at her keyboard.

"So…" Anna began in an awkward attempt to start a conversation. "You're new here?" No response. She reached out her hand to initiate a handshake. "Hi, I'm Anna. Anna Arendelle. You?" The blonde didn't break away from her task. "Okay, looks like you're in that cubicle beside mine and you're stuck with me for a while. Fair warning, I might get annoying at times like that time Stabbington got really annoyed of my ranting and by God, he looked pissed." The blonde didn't even do so much as glance in her general direction. "Okay, maybe later."

Her phone vibrated again. She sighed and pulled out the device from her pocket and swiped her finger across the screen to read Kristoff's message. _Nice going._

_Maybe the people from where she comes from are snobs or just don't like talking to our kind._

_Or maybe she's deaf. _Kristoff replied a moment later.

_OMG, K. You don't just make jokes like that._

She shot a sideways glance at the blonde and found the boss's obese secretary, Ursula, walking over to her cubicle. She tapped the blonde's shoulder twice and the blonde turned. Ursula nodded toward Duke Weselton's office and the blonde stood and followed after the secretary without a word. Anna returned to working on her computer to try and finish the spreadsheet she was working on. Then her phone annoyingly vibrated once more. She pulled the phone from her pocket and read her co-worker's text. _What was that about?_

Frustrated, she typed her reply. _I swear to God, if you text me again while I'm working, I'm gonna cut your throat. I still need to get this done so don't talk to me for a while._

_Wow, okay, geez. I'll leave you alone._

Anna returned her phone in her pocket and continued her work, her eyes alternating between the statements on the desktop and the computer screen. A moment later, after she had filled in so many cells with values, the blonde returned. She sat on her cubicle without uttering one word and continued what she had been working on.

"So, what happened in there?" Anna asked the blonde who didn't respond. "What did the boss want to talk to you about?" The blonde still didn't answer. "Are you ignoring me or what?" Still no response. "Okay…" Anna gave up on trying to communicate with the blonde girl who didn't noticed her or anyone in the workplace, so she just returned to the task at hand.

* * *

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _ANNA_ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

* * *

The whole day, the new blonde girl didn't talk to anyone, much less even _notice _anyone. And no one paid her much attention in return. Anna remembered the time they had lunch and Kristoff insisted on going to this fast food chain with Olaf Snow, another co-worker and friend of hers, to go get some lunch. The blonde girl was there too, but she just sat on her table, alone and silent. She didn't even pay attention to anyone and her eyes were glued to a book the whole time as she munched on a burger. Then there was this time back in the office when there were some guys who tried to talk to the blonde and one of them even flirted (which left a bad taste in Anna's mouth). The blonde didn't pay them heed and they all went away disappointed. Anna felt like laughing on the spot when the blonde's silence drove another one of her co-workers away.

Now that it was night, the day was over. Anna was about to go home. She said her goodbyes to Kristoff and Olaf and to Oaken, the building's big security guard who was actually a softie even though his physique was intimidating. The security guard could throw a full-grown man out of the door effortlessly with one hand, but only if he was provoked – which didn't happen often. After Kristoff and Olaf went the opposite path to go to some bar Olaf suggested, Anna headed for the parking lot behind their building so she could drive home and rest.

Her car was a dark green car. Beside it was parked a sleek, black one. A car that Anna has never seen in this parking lot before. The streetlamp above it illuminated the car, and Anna noticed a figure leaning against the vehicle. The figure was a girl dressed casually – a black shirt with jeans and boots. Her skin was pale and there were light, almost invisible freckles on her cheeks. Her raven-black hair was jagged and spiky and secured by a sliver hairband and her eyes were a familiar shade of arctic blue. She looked oddly familiar, and after a moment, Anna realized that this woman looked a lot like the blonde girl from work.

A question formed in Anna's mind as she walked to the woman, whose eyes were trained on her wristwatch. She neared the raven-haired woman and the woman turned to her, her piercing blue eyes gazing into Anna's. She slowly phrased her question as to not be too awkward. "Do you, by any chance, have a sister in this building? Because there's someone here that looks a lot like you…"

The woman's eyes widened, and then a smile curled her lips. "Why, yes." She answered; her voice cool and clear against the silence of the night. "I see you've met Elsa. I'm her sister, Elizabeth. Elizabeth Andersen." She offered her hand and Anna took it in a handshake. "So, what about it? Has my little sister gotten into trouble?"

"Uh, no, it's not that." Anna replied as she shook her head. "I just want to ask, why doesn't she, oh say, notice anyone? I mean, a lot of people tried conversing with her and they'll just be driven away by her silence. Is she just giving the cold shoulder or what?"

Elizabeth's gaze softened and saddened, though there was something else behind it, protectiveness. "Don't you think that question's a bit personal?"

Anna shook her hands and head frantically. "No, no. I didn't mean to offend anyone. Especially not your sister!"

"I know you don't. I know that's an innocent question. You just want to know, I understand." Elizabeth's gaze met Anna's once again. "Elsa doesn't pay attention to anyone because she can't hear them."

"Can't hear them? What do you mean? Is she, like, deaf or something?"

Elizabeth sighed. "Yes, she's deaf. Didn't you notice? I thought it would be pretty obvious or everyone knew. I told the employer that she's deaf during the interview. I even had to act as a sign-to-English translator!"

"Well… the HR didn't really share a lot of details."

"I see. Well, I hope she didn't get into trouble. I just forgot to wake up this morning and she already went to work before I woke up."

"You work here too?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Of course! I need to keep an eye out for my unfortunately deaf baby sister. I just forgot to go to work this morning is all. And speaking of baby sisters, here she is." Elizabeth looked over Anna's shoulder and the redhead followed her gaze. The blonde, Elsa, was walking towards them, a puzzled look on her face as she went. Elizabeth did some signs with her hands and Elsa nodded. The blonde entered the black car and Elizabeth followed.

"What's your name, red?" Elizabeth asked after she rolled down the window.

"Anna Arendelle."

"Well, Anna, nice to meet you. Now, if you'll excuse us," Elizabeth turned the key in the ignition. The engine hummed to life. "We've got to go." The car drove off into the night, leaving Anna alone in the parking lot beside her own car. She got into the car and drove home as well to get some rest and probably a good night's sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**- TWO -**

* * *

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _ANNA _-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

* * *

"Not now, Kris," said Anna without her gaze breaking away from the computer screen. "I still need to get these T-Accounts done."

Anna was sitting on the computer again, doing her spreadsheets. And Kristoff was being the annoying co-worker he is by constantly bugging Anna even though he has his own load of tasks to accomplish. "What? You got something to do later?"

"Uh, yeah." Anna pointed at the computer screen. "I'm going to have to do this at home. There are a lot of entries here for crying out loud. And I have to put them all here."

"Bjorgman!" The voice of their boss shouted from behind him. His face went pale and slack and his entire body stiffened.

"You're dead." Anna said in a mocking tone.

"Get back to work!" Duke Weselton added. Kristoff sighed and ran toward his own cubicle. Anna watched her best friend and annoying co-worker run back to his own space, a smirk on her lips the whole time.

"What was that about?" A familiar voice, cool and clear, was brought to Anna's attention. She swiveled around in her seat to find a tall, pale woman with freckles and spiky raven black hair dressed in corporate attire. Her elbow was propped on the top of the cubicle's wall and in her hand was a cup of latte.

"Oh hey, uh…" Anna tried to remember the woman's name.

"Elizabeth." The raven-haired woman answered and took a sip from her cup. "You've already forgotten my name."

"Sorry about that. I have a bad memory." Anna replied as she scratched the back of her head. "Where's your sister? Uh…"

"Elsa." Elizabeth finished for her. "She's on her way up. I think she went to go downstairs to go. Don't you have any restrooms on this floor?" She took another sip of her coffee. "So, what was that about? Blondie there being shouted at by that old guy."

"That's Kristoff." Anna corrected as she pointed at her co-worker who plopped down on his office seat. She then pointed at the elderly, diminutive man with white hair and a bushy white mustache. "And that 'old guy' over there is the boss."

"Oh."

"Kris's been reprimanded again for being the lazy ass he is." Anna chuckled as she said that. "It happens almost every day."

"Huh." Elizabeth replied and turned around. "Oh, here she is." Anna followed her gaze and watched as a pale, blonde girl walked into the office. Elizabeth waved her hand and did a sign, and Elsa returned the same gesture. "Now _I've _got to do my own work. I'll see you two later." Elizabeth walked away towards her own cubicle as Elsa walked towards the one beside Anna's.

"Hey, Elsa." Anna greeted the blonde as she sat then immediately facepalmed herself mentally. For a brief moment, she forgot that the blonde was deaf and that her words have fallen on literally deaf ears. A fierce blush spread on her cheeks as a result of embarrassment and she looked away from the blonde and returned her gaze to her computer to prevent more of her awkwardness from showing. At least Elsa wasn't looking to her direction when she said her greeting, or else she would have been in a more awkward situation.

Anna's phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out. She swiped her finger across the screen to unlock the device and she read the text message from Kristoff. _Hey Anna, let's go get lunch._

She typed in her reply and hit the send button. _Sure, _her message read. She collected her things, shouldered her purse and got up from her seat. Then she headed out the door and into the elevator to leave the building and go to the fast food chain she and her friends always eat lunch at.

* * *

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _ANNA _-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

* * *

"Kris, when are you going to get serious about your job?" Anna asked with concern as they waited for the third member of their party to arrive. "You've got a lot of financial statements to take care of."

"Okay, mom. I'm still doing my job." Kristoff answered then took a sip of his soda.

"Old man weasel might give you the boot." Anna replied.

"Here he is." Kristoff said and looked past Anna's shoulder.

"Who? Weselton?" Anna questioned with panic in her voice.

"No, Olaf." Kristoff replied and pointed to someone behind her. She turned in her seat to find a thin, scrawny guy in a white, striped button down and black slacks with brown leather loafers. His pale face was littered with freckles and in his lopsided mouth was a goofy bucktooth. His warm, chocolate brown eyes matched the color of his short, wavy hair. "Hey, Olaf!" Kristoff called out. "What took you?"

"Kris, Ann." Olaf greeted and he took a seat on the table. "Sorry I was late, I was on a roll and I didn't want to lose my momentum. You know that when I'm on a coding streak, it's not easy for me to break away from the task."

"You make webpages. Your job is so easy." Kristoff replied.

Olaf shot him a glare. "Excuse me? My job is not that easy. It involves a lot of planning and coding and thinking about how much aesthetic appeal it would give the viewer." Olaf counted fingers for every point he said. "You on the other hand, record statements and entries in a ledger."

"Yeah, and he doesn't even do great at that." Anna added and Kristoff sent her a glare.

"Isn't that the new girl?" Olaf asked and pointed to someone behind Kristoff. Anna followed the direction Olaf's finger is pointing toward and saw Elsa and her sister Elizabeth together on the same table, eating lunch while doing signs. "And who's that with her?"

"The one with the black hair? That's Elizabeth, Elsa's sister." Anna explained. She watched the two have a conversation in sign language using strange gestures that she barely understood. She sometimes catches Elizabeth tapping her fist against her wrist or Elsa pressing her thumb into her forehead with her fingers splayed.

"Wait, the blonde's name is Elsa and the other is Elizabeth?" Kristoff asked and Anna nodded in response. "How did you know that?"

"I met Elizabeth in the parking lot last night and she introduced herself as Elsa's sister." Anna shrugged.

"Is that sign?" Olaf commented as they watched the exchange of signs between the pair of siblings. "That _is _sign. I recognize some of those signs there. My grandma used to do sign."

"You understand sign?" Anna asked. Olaf understanding sign was news.

"No, I just recognize some of those gestures."

"They're deaf?" Kristoff asked.

"No, only Elsa is." Anna replied and Kristoff raised an eyebrow. "The blonde one." She pointed out and Kristoff nodded.

Anna continued to watch the pair communicate in sign language, and Anna's gaze was mostly on the blonde and how her hair gleamed when the sunlight that filtered through the windows struck the elegant braid. She kept her attention on the freckles on her rosy pink cheeks and how her red lips curl whenever she smiles or smirks.

"Anna, you're staring." Kristoff pointed out.

Anna broke from her stupor. "What?" She raised her hands defensively. "No I wasn't!" She felt a fierce blush spread across her cheeks as she said that. "What reason would I have to stare?"

"Why are you so defensive all of a sudden?" Olaf taunted and quirked an eyebrow. "Also, you're blushing."

"Defensive? Defensive how?"

"Just admit it. We totally saw you staring." Kristoff added.

"Question is: at _who?_" Olaf said.

Anna's watch beeped. She found the perfect opportunity to change the conversation and prevent herself from humiliating herself even more. "Oh look at the time, lunch hours over. Time to get back to the office!" She stood up, shouldered her purse, and started for the door without even looking back so as not to show her officemates how red her face felt it was. She headed back to the office building without checking to see if Kristoff or Olaf are following.

* * *

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _ANNA _-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

* * *

Anna was back in the workplace and her two co-workers were at their respective areas. She was heading back to her own cubicle when Elsa passed in front of her. She was carrying a folder full of papers. She was headed toward the row of cubicles. And then she tripped and dropped the folder. The blonde knelt on one knee as she collected the papers and put them back in the folder. Now that Elsa has stopped moving for a while, Anna considered engaging in conversation with the blonde. She remembered how Ursula tapped her shoulder to call her attention, and Anna was about to try the same method. She reached out to touch the blonde's shoulder, and then she realized something.

_You don't do sign nor do you understand sign._

_How would she even understand you and how would you even understand her?_

_You'll just make yourself look like an embarrassed idiot who would stand there not knowing what to say… or sign._

She withdrew her hand which hovered a few inches from Elsa's shoulder and watched as the blonde got on her feet and headed for the cubicles. Elsa didn't even notice her presence.

"Why hesitate?" Elizabeth's voice rang out and her head immediately followed the source of the sound. "Elsa's an approachable person."

"I can't do sign." Anna responded.

"Oh. That's no surprise." Elizabeth replied and tilted her head questioningly. "What _did _you want to talk to her about?"

"I was just planning to introduce myself and-"

Elizabeth grabbed her wrist, her skin cool against Anna's. "Then I'll be translating for you." She dragged her to the blonde despite Anna's protests. Elsa was still facing her computer, her arctic blue eyes alternating between the papers in the folder and the computer screen. Elizabeth reached out and tapped her sister's shoulder twice, and Elsa turned to the two women. She raised her eyebrow questioningly and ran a finger through her hair behind her ear. Anna could swear that the shade of rosy pink in her cheeks was a bit darker than usual.

"Say hi." Elizabeth whispered to Anna as she let go of her wrist. "Just wave your hand." Anna waved her hand and Elsa waved hers in return. "Now introduce yourself. I'll translate, don't worry."

"Okay, uh, Hi, I'm Anna." Elizabeth performed the signs with her hands and even spelled out A-N-N-A with fingerspelling and Elsa watched her sister's motions intently. Elsa did a set of gestures and fingerspells in return.

"She said: _I'm Elsa._ _Elsa Andersen. I see you've met my sister._" Elsa reached out her hand. "Shake her hand." Elizabeth whispered and Anna took the blonde's hand and shook it. She was sure that there was a brief flash of red on the blonde's pale cheeks or maybe she was just seeing things. Elsa's hand felt cool against Anna's palm and they disbanded from the handshake.

"So, you're from a foreign country?" Anna asked and Elizabeth converted her sentence to a series of signs. Elsa responded with more signs that Anna didn't understand at all.

"_Yeah, Norway Why?_" Elizabeth translated.

"I was just curious. The HR told us that you two would be from a foreign country but she didn't tell us where, so I got curious." Elizabeth continued signing as Anna spoke. "And now I feel awkward for not being able to do sign and for having your sister translate." Elizabeth chuckled as she continued performing different signs and fingerspelling.

Elsa put her hand to her mouth and giggled in a fashion that Anna found cute. She did more signs and Elizabeth translated for her. "_Well, she _does_ translate for a lot of people._" Elizabeth faced Anna. "Yeah, I do. And sometimes, I get tired of it. Sometimes."

"Well, nice to meet you two. Now I've got to go, I still have work to do." Anna said and Elizabeth translated. Elsa nodded and she did her own sets of signs.

"_Okay. Nice to meet you too, Anna._" Elizabeth translated and Elsa returned her gaze to the computer screen. Anna thanked Elizabeth with a handshake and she returned to her own cubicle. Elizabeth returned to hers as Anna sat down at her own cubicle. The redhead would sometimes flash glances at the blonde, who was busy working at her own computer. There was even one time when she caught Elsa's stunning icy blue eyes on her and she would suddenly look away with a flustered expression on her face.

Anna returned her gaze to the computer screen in front of her, all the while seeing the gestures and signs and fingerspells the sisters used to converse with each other play out in her mind.

_If I am to communicate with Elsa better, I should at least understand Sign Language. I'll just study sign when I have the time. And after all, it _is _a Saturday tomorrow. I'll study sign language then._

* * *

**Willkommen, meine lieben Fruende. I'm Exi and you're reading "Signs and Silence," which was inspired by the Deaf!Elsa fanart made by Aspenaten in Tumblr. /_shoutout to aspen: hoo-hoo!_/ I'm truly amazed that this has 40+ followers and I hope that you'll continue to enjoy this one!**

**/#/ Exi /#/**


	3. Chapter 3

**- THREE -**

* * *

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _ANNA -_=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

* * *

_Okay, let's see if you have what it takes to learn sign._

Anna was headed towards the public library to see if she can find books on sign language. Since she thought of studying sign the last day, the first thing that always comes into mind were the words 'book' and 'library.'

The public library had a modern design. It had three floors and one two sides that were positioned side-by-side were basically big windows that were occasionally broken by white columns of cement that were spaced apart at regular intervals and these two glass walls met at a corner marked by thick, round column of whitewashed stone that looked like a Ionic-style Greek column. The same pattern continued for all three floors of the library, and the glass walls allowed one to see into the library's interior. Anna walked through the sliding, automatic glass double-doors of the library and felt a blast wind from the air curtain that was situated above the door. Upon entering the library, the smell of exhaust and other natural scents was immediately replaced by the smell of paper and rosemary that emanated from oil burners strategically located across the room.

The library's interior had tables and shelves in the center of the floor. Sunlight filtered through the glass walls. There was a square hole in the ceiling of each floor that allowed people to look up and see the third floor's pyramid-shaped glass ceiling, through which more sunlight poured in through. Bookshelves took up the space of the non-glass walls with smaller shelves taking up the space between the wall and the tables and chairs, the rows of shelves separated by wide aisles. Near the door was a white counter and behind the counter was a familiar, fair-skinned girl with hazel hair that matches the color of her bright eyes that were hidden behind rimmed glasses. She was wearing a yellow button down with a black skirt and there was a string that hung on her neck that was secured to her glasses. Anna approached the counter and the woman's eyes met hers and a smile formed on the librarian's pink lips.

"Anna!" The librarian greeted and took Anna's hand. "What brings you here?"

"Hey, Belle." Anna responded and the librarian let go of her hand. "I was just wondering… do you have any books on sign language?"

The question seemed to have perplexed Belle since a look of puzzlement appeared on her face. "Why?"

"You see, there's this new girl in the office who's deaf-" Anna began but was cut off by the librarian.

"So you need to learn sign for you to communicate with her." Belle finished. Anna nodded and Belle shifted her gaze to the computer screen on the countertop. "Yeah, I think we have some books on that here. Let me check." She tapped some keys on the keyboard located under the countertop and hit enter. A short list of results appeared onscreen. "Oh, all five of our books on sign language have already been borrowed." Belle said with a pout.

"Oh. Well, that's a shame." Anna replied with a disappointed tone. "Well, thanks. I'll just go."

Belle laughed. "I'm just messing with you. All five of our books on sign are still here. On the second floor. Somewhere around 419. You do know how to find books based on Dewey Decimal numbers, right?"

"Of course I do! I'm not _that _hopeless." Anna replied and started for the staircase. "Thanks, Belle!"

"Anytime, Anna!" Belle replied and sat back in her seat.

Anna climbed the staircase and entered the second floor of the library. There was a big square hole in the floor and another one in the ceiling directly above it. The hole was bordered by a glass railing with small columns of steel positioned at regular intervals. Sunlight poured in through the two glass walls and through the hole in the ceiling, brightly illuminating the room. Couches were positioned around the hole's glass railing. Tall bookshelves were propped against the wooden walls while shorter shelves bordered the glass walls, allowing anyone inside to see out the window without the shelves completely blocking out the view. There was a space set into one of the walls with an elevated platform covered in posh, lavender-colored carpeting with beanbag chairs in groups around the corners. Another long bookshelf took up the rest of the wall wall of the space and a lamp hung overhead, illuminating the area.

The library's architectural design and various posh decorations was breathtaking, and the vast number of books in it even more so. "There's so many books here..." Anna said in amazement. "No wonder Belle likes this place so much." She added and started scanning the room, looking for the books she needs. "Okay, 419. 419... Where are you 419? Ah, there you are." She pulled out a book on sign language from the shelf and headed to the couches around the hole and took a seat on the leather couch.

She opened the book and was met with step-by-step diagrams of various signs and even some paragraphs explaining how to do a certain sign. There were even combinations of weird symbols and characters called Stokoe Notation and Sutton SignWriting. There were chapters on guidelines on communicating with deaf people and guidelines on deaf etiquette and even deaf culture. She turned to the table of contents and scanned it, looking for the chapters on signs - which were categorized according to meaning and , she decided to open the book on the chapter about signs regarding people and family.

"Okay, time to start practicing." Anna said and tried out the signs on the page which were clearly illustrated and described by the paragraphs. The lighting of the room and the scents of rosemary oil really helped still her mind and concentrate on the book in her hands, making reading a lot easier.

* * *

:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:_ ELSA _:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:

* * *

Elsa caught wind about a library near the office she worked at, and it was her sister who told her of said library because she said that she knows how much her little sister loves books. She even went through the trouble of getting her a library card. Elizabeth wasn't really much of a bookworm and she said she had other things to do, so Elsa headed to the library herself. On her ears were earphones that didn't have any music blasting through them. She just wore them to make other people think that she was merely drowning out their voices with music so as to not engage in conversation with anyone. Not that she didn't want to, she just won't understand them.

She found the library her sister spoke of and entered. A blast of wind from the air curtain met her and lightly ruffled her hair. She looked around and admired the design of the library and the vast number of books organized inside various bookshelves. She noticed that they were grouped according to the Dewy Decimal System, so even without asking the librarian, she already knew where to go. She was looking for fiction books, which were in 823, in the third floor according to the list of floors located near the automatic double doors. She ascended the staircase to the third floor, admiring the architectural design of the many floors and the number of books in the bookshelves in each floor.

She finally reached the third floor after ascending two flights of stairs. THe third floor looked a lot alike the second floor except for the fact that it didn't have the space with the elevated platform the the lower floor sported. Above the square hole in the middle of the room was a pyramidal structure made of glass through which sunlight poured into. Aside from bookshelves, there were also racks of CD's near three individual couches and three CD players with headsets attached to them.

_Probably audio books._ Elsa mused. _Not that I'd have much use for them._

Elsa went over to the shelf filled with works of fiction from various authors and scanned the spines, looking for an interesting book to read. Every now and then, she finds an interesting title and pulls it out of the shelf and looks at the cover and reads the synopsis. Some of the books she found didn't really pique her interest, so she put them back in the shelf and looked for another interesting books, which she found eventually. She pulled the book of her choice from the bookshelf and started toward the staircase when the square hole in the floor gained her attention.

She walked over to the hole and leaned on the glass railing and looked down into the lower floors. On the first floor, there were people going around and browsing the rows of shelves. On the second floor were people on the couches around the glass-bordered hole. One of the things that really caught her eye, however, was a head of familiar strawberry-blonde hair with a platinum blonde streak. It was the girl from the office, Anna, if she remembered correctly. She was hunched over a book on her lap, her hands moving and creating strange patterns - some of them oddly familiar.

_Why is she here and what is she doing?_

The redhead stopped momentarily and turned her head toward her direction all of a sudden. For even a split-second, she was able to register details about the girl. She noticed how the blonde streak in her strawberry-blonde hair gleamed when the sunlight from above hit it. She took note of the redhead's cool, cerulean eyes and the freckles that were spread across the tan skin of her face and the ones on her shoulders that were left bare by her olive green off-the-shoulder top. She was sure that Anna was looking at her, so she immediately looked away and retreated from the center of the room. She straightened the imaginary creases in her shirt and descended the staircase.

She was on the first floor and she headed for the counter to borrow the book. The brunette librarian's attention snapped to her as she put the book she was going to borrow on the countertop. She pulled her library card from her wallet and presented it to the librarian. She watched in silence as the librarian pressed some keys on the keyboard. As she watched, she felt someone tap her shoulder and she turned around in place to find Anna, holding a book under her arm.

The redhead scanned the book in her hands and closed it again. Her hands moved in signs and fingerspell that said: '_Hello, E-L-S-A._'She reopened her book and once again scanned its pages. '_What are you-_'she flipped the pages on her book again. '_Doing here?_'

Elsa's eyes moved to the book in her hands. It had diagrams of various step-by-step procedures for different signs. Another hand tapped her shoulder from behind and she turned around. The librarian had finished her task and she was holding out the book Elsa borrowed. Elsa accepted the book and moved out of the line to allow the redhead to borrow hers. She turned and started for the doors, but a hand grabbed her shoulder. She looked behind her over her shoulder. Anna made the sign for '_wait._' She watched as Anna borrowed her book on sign language, and when she was done, the redhead turned the pages looking for something. Finally, she signed: '_Do you want to get some coffee?_'

Elsa felt her face flush as she nodded.

* * *

:~:~:~:~:~:~:~: _ELSA _:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:

* * *

They were in a nearby cafe, sipping away at coffee while on a table outside the cafe. Anna's gaze kept alternating between the book and Elsa while she was trying out sign language. Elsa found it funny for some _reason_.

'_So, have you-_' the redhead scanned the book again and trailed her finger across a page. '_made_-' she looked for something in the book's pages again. '_Any friends in the-' _her eyes fell to the book once more. _'Office yet?__**'**_

Elsa signed '_Not yet. It's only my second day._' and Anna watched her gestures intently. The redhead cocked an eyebrow in confusion and Elsa repeated her signs. Anna flipped the pages of the book on the tabletop as she tried to translate what she had just signed. Elsa found that the redhead was having difficulty with sign. A smile curled her lips as she pulled out a napkin from the napkin holder and retrieved the pen she always keeps in her pocket for when she needs something written. She scribbled her message on the square of paper. _Looks like you're having a hard time with that. Why don't we just pass notes. So that it would be easier for you._ She admired her cursive writing for a while before spinning the paper and pushing it to the redhead on the opposite side of the table, who was still busy looking for something in the book.

Anna picked up the napkin and read it. Afterwards, she pulled out a square of paper from the napkin holder and asked for the pen. She scribbled something on the napkin and handed it to her. Elsa read the note. _Okay. Doing sign's so hard._

Elsa giggled and Anna returned the pen. She pulled another napkin from the dispenser and wrote her reply. _Why don't you get lessons, then? There might be some people in this town who know and teach sign. Maybe even Liz would help you with learning sign._ She passed the note back to the redhead, who read it.

Elsa handed Anna the pen as she wrote on another napkin. _You think she'll help me?_

Elsa wrote her reply on the same sheet. _If you ask nicely._

Elsa watched the redhead as she read the note. Anna pulled out her phone and swiped a finger across the screen and her brows furrowed as her eyes were kept on the device's display. She pulled another square from the dispenser and scribbled her reply, which she passed to Elsa. _I've got to go. My cousin just texted me. She said it was something important._ Anna pulled out another napkin and scribbled something - a string of numbers. _My number. Text me._ She rose from her seat and returned the phone into the pocket of her denim jeans. She waved a goodbye at Else before turning around and leaving. Elsa watched as the redhead hailed a cab and entered and drove off.

When the cab was out of sight, Elsa's gaze fell to the napkin with Anna's number in front of her. She pulled out her own phone from her pocket and saved the redhead's number. After that, she stood, took her coffee and the book she borrowed from the library, and headed home.

* * *

**... I'm really amazed to see how many people like this. Like, wow. You're all amazing. And I love you all.**

**/#/ Exi /#/**


	4. Chapter 4

**- FOUR -**

* * *

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _ANNA _-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

* * *

Anna decided on texting the blonde inside the cubicle directly beside her for two main reasons. One, sign was too conspicuous. Two, she wasn't really well-versed with sign language yet. She pulled her phone from her pocket and slid her finger across the screen to unlock it. The device unlocked with a snapping sound effect and her finger found the icon for contacts. She pressed on it and the list of all her saved contacts appeared on screen. There, she looked for Elsa's contact number, appropriately labeled with the name 'Elsa Andersen' and her icon which was a picture of the blonde which Anna herself took. Elsa didn't know about the picture though, it was a stolen shot taken while in the workplace while Elsa was facing her computer.

She pressed the message button on the contact and entered her message to Elsa inside the text box that appeared. Her fingers flew over the digital keypad and spelled out her message: _Hey Els. How you doing? _She hit the send button and shot a sideways glance at the girl in the cubicle beside hers for a reaction. She watched as Elsa pulled her phone from the pocket in her suit and as she opened it with a swipe of her thumb.

Anna returned her gaze to her computer screen and continued to type in values to fill the cells of the spreadsheet she was working on. It was only a moment until she received the reply from the blonde. _I'm doing fine here. You?_

Anna looked around, her eyes landing on Elsa, who was facing her computer. She looked around again and found no sign of her superiors. Her fingers pressed the keys on the digital keypad and typed in her reply. _I'm okay here._

_Still haven't gotten the hang of sign? _Elsa asked via text message after a short while.

_No, not yet. I've memorized some signs but not a lot yet. _Anna replied and hit send.

_Oh yeah? Show me any one sign that you know of. _Anna wracked her brains, scouring her memory for one sign she can demonstrate. She knew and memorized quite a few signs but for some reason, she found choosing one to show Elsa was a bit difficult. Her gaze then fell on the elegant braid of platinum-blonde hair over Elsa's shoulder and how it looked like it was almost white. She kept her eyes trained on the beautifully styled length of golden hair and how some rebellious wisps stuck out of the otherwise perfect braid.

_Braid. _Anna knew the sign for braid, so she carefully demonstrated it in front of Elsa. A small smile grew on Elsa's lips as she reached for her phone on the tabletop and typed something in. Seconds later, Anna received Elsa's message and she read the text message from the blonde. _Was that supposed to be the sign for 'braid?'_ Anna nodded and Elsa sent another message. _Well, you're learning. Has that book been helping you out?_

Anna sent her reply. _Oh yeah. Lots. :)_

_Oh yeah? How about this? _Anna received Elsa's reply and she looked over to Elsa. Elsa splayed her fingers to make a five and then she pressed the tip of her thumb to her chin. Anna wracked her brains, trying to remember what sign that was for since she saw it in the book.

Anna mentally snapped her fingers in realization and she typed her answer. _Mother._ Elsa read the text message she received from Anna and her gaze met hers. Elsa's icy blue eyes were alight with amusement when Anna looked into them as the blonde nodded.

Anna's phone vibrated again and she picked it up from the desktop. There was a new text message from Kristoff. She signaled for Elsa to wait as she wiped her thumb across the screen to unlock the device and read her best friend's text message. It read: _Hey Anna, how's it going?_

Anna typed in her reply to Kristoff's greeting. _Not much. Nothing besides a lot of statements and entries that need recording. _She hit the send button and looked over to where Kristoff was sitting. She caught a glimpse of a short, elderly man with white hair and a white, bushy mustache. _It's the boss. Hide. _Kristoff looked like he received the message since he immediately hid his phone. Duke Weselton walked past his cubicle and shot him a glance and completely walked past Kristoff.

_Close call. _Kristoff said via text message when their boss was no longer in sight.

_Weasel looks like he's out for blood. He would have given your ass a firing if he caught you on your phone._

_He's been after me the entire week!_

Anna kept laughing after she read Kristoff's reply. Her laughter was broken when a hand landed on her shoulder. She looked to her right to find Elsa's icy blue eyes staring into hers, her usually pale face slightly redder than usual, pronouncing the freckles on the bridge of her nose and cheeks. With her other hand, she was holding out a square of sticky note with something scribbled on it. Anna took the paper Elsa had offered her and read the note written on it. _Want to come with me and Liz to lunch? Liz invited you but if you don't want to, it's okay._

Anna faced the blonde, who gaze was fixed on the screen of her computer as she nervously picked on the end of her braid. A darker shade of pink colored her cheeks, making the light freckles on her face a bit more obvious. Anna reached for her phone and composed a message. _Sure. Why not. _She sent it to Elsa and she watched as the blonde read the message she had received. Elsa grinned and she herself started composing her own message. _Great! _The message Anna received had said and Elsa composed another one - for Elizabeth, no doubt.

Moments after, Anna received another message. A group chat between her, Olaf, and Kristoff. It was Olaf who wrote the first message. _Hey you two, wanna go get some lunch?_

_I'm up for some grub. _Kristoff added.

_When aren't you? _Anna replied. _Sorry guys, I have to decline that one. I've already been invited to lunch and it won't be polite to cancel._

_Anna, our little miss manners. _Kristoff replied.

_Kristoff, our lazy-ass funky-looking donkey who almost got fired on several occasions. _Anna snapped back snidely.

_OHHH BUUURN! _Olaf commented. _So, looks like princess here isn't coming with us. Kris, I'll be waiting at the first floor. The usual._

"So," a clear voice said as a hand landed on Anna's shoulder, making the redhead jump. She turned around to find Elizabeth staring down at her with her icy blue eyes that glinted with amusement. Elsa was standing right beside her. Now that the two stood side-by-side, Anna could see the slight height difference between the two. Elizabeth was slightly taller than Elsa. "You coming with us?" Elizabeth continued.

"Well, since you invited me to..." Anna replied.

A grin grew on the raven-haired woman's lips as she clapped her hands together. "Excellent. Let's go."

Anna got up from her seat and followed the Andersen sisters out of the workplace and into the elevator at the end of the hallway beyond the glass double doors that separated the office space from the hallway. Their heels clicked against the linoleum floor of the hallway, giving a sound to their every footstep. Anna pressed the down button on the panel beside the elevator's doors and waited for a while before the elevator finally opened. They entered and told the elevator operator to get them to the first floor of the building.

The outside was mostly neat rows of trees and bushes in designated areas around the perimeter of the building's area and sights of skyscrapers both near and far. There was a fountain in the middle of the building's enormous patio, the water's surface riddled with water lilies and koi. The air outside was relatively clean for an urban area if one ignored the smoke emitted by passing vehicles, and the sun hung bright in the light blue, clear, cloudless sky with an occasional airplane passing through the vast sky.

"So, what made you invite me?" Anna asked as the trio comprised of her, Elizabeth, and Elsa left the building's automatic sliding glass double doors. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, I'm just curious to know why you let me, a stranger who has been your co-worker for a week, tag along."

"Why not?" Elizabeth replied as they walked down the pedestrian lane. "Elsa really enjoys your company since you're probably the only person besides me who tries to communicate with her." A vehicle's horn blared and they stopped walking, except Elsa, who kept walking forth since she missed the warning. Anna grabbed Elsa by her wrist and pulled her back. The vehicle whizzed past them and a startled and thankful expression developed on Elsa's face. "And maybe thanks for that." Elizabeth pointed out after a long moment of silence.

"Okay, so, uh, what now?" Anna asked.

"We try to get some lunch, that's what." Elizabeth answered and they continued their walk toward the fast food joint they always go to so they could indulge themselves with food.

* * *

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _ANNA _-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

* * *

The waiter set the tray of their food on their table. Anna sat opposite from the Andersen sisters - who were sitting beside each other. Elizabeth picked up a burger and began to unwrap the paper that covered it. Elsa took a french fry and put it in her mouth and chewed and Anna took a bite out of the cheeseburger in her hand.

Elsa did a series of signs which Elizabeth and Anna watched intently. Elizabeth translated for Anna "_Thanks for the save. If it hadn't been for you I would have been dead_." Elizabeth turned to Anna as well, her icy blue eyes carrying a hint of gratitude. "Yeah, my thanks too."

Anna wracked her brains, trying to remember what the sign was for 'you're welcome.' After a moment of brainstorming, she finally remembered the shape of the sign and she executed the gesture for 'you're welcome,' eliciting a smile from Elsa and a puzzled and amazed look from Elizabeth.

"You do sign?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, you see, there's this book that I borrowed from the library and it's about sign language. It has instructions on how to do signs for conversation." Anna explained and Elizabeth nodded.

"Oh. And is it going well? Your studies in sign language?"

"I don't really know. Why don't you ask Elsa?" Anna suggested since she really didn't know how well she was doing. She can't make that assessment since she didn't know much about sign language yet, so she needed someone who did sign to judge her progress. Elizabeth did a series of signs to which Elsa replied with her own signs.

"She said that you're not doing badly, but you're not doing well either." Elizabeth translated Elsa's signs. Elsa added more signs and Elizabeth translated again. "She also says that you need the help of someone who teaches sign because it's going to be harder to learn sign language from a. Book than from someone who can communicate with that language."

'Well, do you know of anyone who can help me?" Anna asked. Elizabeth lightly elbowed her sister and Elsa replied with a series of signs. Elizabeth did her own sets of signs and soon they were in a silent argument that didn't involve any form of voice, but if their hands talked, they would have been really noisy. Anna could sometimes catch signs she knew the meaning to, but not enough to make sense of a sentence. Finally, Elizabeth raised her hands in surrender and Elsa raised her head triumphantly.

"She said that we'll be the ones who are going to teach you." Elizabeth sighed and Elsa nodded. "So, are you free tomorrow after work?"

"Yeah." Anna answered.

"Then that's when we're gonna start."

"Where?"

"We'll just tell you tomorrow."

"Then in that case, I can't wait for tomorrow." Anna said enthusiastically.

"You sure are enthusiastic." Elizabeth commented. "No wonder a lot of people in the office like you." She glanced at her wristwatch. "And speaking of office, it's almost time to get back to work. The weasel might chew us out if we're late." They all rose from their seats and headed out of the place to return to the office before they are late.

* * *

**I've been hella busy lately, but good news: I've graduated and the school year is over (for me, at least) so you'll expect more frequent updates. And in unrelated news, it's 1:00 AM here and I can smell beer, but I'm not drunk. I don't drink.**

**/#/ Exi /#/**


	5. Chapter 5

**- FIVE -**

* * *

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _ANNA_ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

* * *

Anna received a text message from Elizabeth telling her to meet up at the cafe near the building after work so that they could get started on those sign lessons, and so they can hang out a bit. Just her, Elsa, and Elizabeth. Anna had no right to refuse since she was the one who asked for help, and if she was going to turn down the metaphorical hand of assistance being offered to her, she was just going to be rude to the people who are offering to help her.

She arrived at their designated meeting place and the Andersen sisters were already seated at a table outside the cafe, their cups of coffee already half-empty from waiting for her. Elizabeth was drumming her fingers on the glass tabletop, her chin on her palm and her eyes half-closed with boredom. Elsa was reading the book Anna saw her borrow at the library. They were waiting for her even though she was about twenty minutes late. "Liz! Els!" Anna called out and Elizabeth's head snapped up and turned to her. Elsa kept her attention on the book in her hands.

"Anna," Elizabeth began with a strict yet gentle tone. "Where have you been? We were waiting a long time and we started to think that you won't be coming." She nudged Elsa with her shoulder and Elsa looked up from her book and faced Anna.

Anna took a seat at the table and put her purse down underneath the table. "I would have been here earlier if I hadn't been held by Kristoff and Olaf." Anna said, remembering the taller co-worker and the shorter web developer.

"Kristoff and Olaf?" Elizabeth echoed confusedly. "You mean Bjorgman and Snow?"

Anna nodded. "Yeah, those two spent the last twenty minutes trying to talk me into going to 'The Golden Dragon', this Chinese restaurant a few minutes from the building. They wanted me to come with because some friends were also coming since Mulan invited them to. Apparently, I was also invited, but I politely refused because I already had a meeting with you two and that I won't go back on my word."

"Then how come it took you twenty minutes to say that?" Elizabeth asked and took a swig from the cup of coffee in front of her.

"It was the 'Trying-To-Get-Them-To-Stop-Bothering-Me' part that took almost twenty minutes." Anna blew away a stray strand of red hair dangling in front of her face. "Seriously, I don't think anything could get through Kris's thick skull. And his skull's thick not only metaphorically, but also literally. Like that time he hit his head on a wall and felt a little, throbbing pain. Believe me or not, his head even left a small crack on the wall! Maybe it's because of that thick skull of his that he doesn't listen to me most of the time. I keep telling him that I can't go with them to go get some Chinese food, but he kept on insisting. But don't get me wrong, I love Chinese food. I remember that time I went out for Chinese and ordered Yang Zhou Chao Fan and Sweet and Sour Pork. And when someone suggested that I eat the pork together with the rice, oh God, it was so good!." Anna finished with a grin on her face that almost immediately turned into a look of embarrassment as she smacked her forehead after realizing what she just did. "And I ranted again. I'm sorry, I have this tendency to rant."

Elsa - who must have been listening to Elizabeth translating the entire rant - put a hand up to her mouth and giggled. "We know you ramble. Miss Creon once told us that you rant sometimes when she was telling us rumors and facts about everyone in the office - even the boss. She told us that his comb-over falls down whenever he bows and he never notices it or just doesn't care." Elizabeth said. to Anna.

"Did she also tell you that Weselton dances like a chicken with the face of a monkey? And speaking of Creon, isn't that Meg over there?" Anna pointed out and Elizabeth looked over her shoulder. Elsa followed, and together they watched their HR in her usual velvet suit and skirt flirting with Hercules, who was dressed in a pinstripe button-down and black slacks. The two were seated in the same table, and it seemed as if Megara was doing most of the flirting.

"All other details aside, are you ready to start learning sign?" Elizabeth prompted. Anna nodded. "Good. But before we start, I've got to go. And by go, I mean _go_." The raven-haired woman rose from her seat and entered the cafe to use its comfort room. Anna and Elsa were left alone in the table, and Anna sometimes caught Elsa shooting her a quick glance. Anna watched as Elsa pulled out her phone from her pocket and composed a message. Soon, Anna's own phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out to read the message.

_Hi. :)_

Anna gave Elsa her reply. _Hi me?_

Elsa nodded and composed her reply. _You look beautiful. _Anna felt a blush spread across her cheeks as she read that message. She quickly typed her message.

_Thank you! You look beautifuller! _Anna realized her mistake and proceeded to erase it, but she thought about how it would look like she was hiding something from Elsa, so she just continued to write the message. _I mean not fuller, you don't look fuller. But more beautiful._

Elsa smiled shyly as she typed her reply. _Thank you. :)_

_Can you smell that? What is that amazing smell? _Elsa asked via text message and Anna sniffed the air, the scents of chocolate emanating from inside the cafe entering her nostrils.

She sent her reply and got Elsa's almost spontaneously. _Chocolate._ Which was the same thing Anna had sent. They looked up from their phones and met each other's gazes, Anna watching how Elsa's icy blue eyes gleamed. Then they laughed about their jinx.

Elsa sent another message. _I love chocolate. How about you?_

Anna's fingers tapped on the digital keyboard, her fingers knowing where to land without really thinking about it too much. _I love chocolate too! I remember in seventh grade, I used to have a bar of chocolate hidden in my bag at all times. And when the teacher isn't looking, I'll take it out and eat it. Then when the teacher turns around to look, I immediately hid it And I really had to hide it good whenever someone goes near because I know that they'll want a bite out of my chocolate bar. _She sent her reply and suddenly realized that she'd rambled on again - and this time, in a text message. _Oh God, even in texts, I ramble._

Elsa giggled again when she received Anna's reply, and the redhead couldn't help but admire how cute Elsa looks like when she giggles. "I'm back!" Another voice called out from inside the cafe and Anna turned her head to see Elizabeth walking out. Her eyes followed the raven-haired woman as she sat down in her seat. "Okay, now that my bladder's empty, how about we get started?" Elizabeth's eyes fell to Elsa's phone. "You were texting?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah," Anna replied.

"Why don't you just text each other? It's much easier."

"There's always the chance that the phone's battery might die or someone forgets their phone. How is communication without a phone going to be possible, then?" Anna pointed out.

"Hm. Good point." Elizabeth replied thoughtfully and clapped her hands. "Well then, let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

(*(*(*(*(*(*(*( _OLAF _)*)*)*)*)*)*)*)

* * *

Olaf was outside the same cafe Anna and the Andersen sisters were at, but he was in the opposite end, far away from the trio. He was dressed in a khaki trench coat and shades, his face hidden behind a newspaper and his hair covered with a khaki hat. His phone rang its message ringtone and he pulled it out of the pocket in the trench coat and read the text. _Olaf, where are you? _It was from Kristoff.

_I'm busy. _Olaf simply replied.

_Busy with what? Bro, we left the building at the same time. I thought you were headed for the Golden Dragon. Where are you?_

_I'm on a stakeout. _Olaf replied. _Going to see what Anna's doing with the Andersens._

_So basically, you're stalking them? That sounds a lot like you._

A look of bafflement came across Olaf's face. _What do you mean by that?_

_You're really good at stalking people. _Kristoff replied. _And before you even tell me otherwise, remember Ariel? She thought you were some kind of creeper when she found out you were stalking her on Facebook._

_You've made your pint. Now shut up, I'm doing something. _Olaf messaged back and put the phone back in his trench coat pocket. He continued to watch the trio over the newspaper that hid his face, watching them exchange signs. Nothing of interest.

"May I sit here?" A voice with a heavy French accent said and Olaf turned his head toward the source of the voice. There was a man as short as him with a pencil mustache under his nose. He was wearing a similar outfit to Olaf's - a trench coat with a fedora and shades covering his eyes. Olaf nodded and the man sat on a chair near the table and got out a newspaper. Olaf knew what the man was doing - he was doing it himself. He was spying on someone.

"Who you watching?" Olaf asked the man.

"That one right there." The man pointed at someone who looked like he was in his late teens or early twenties. His hair was curly and there were freckles spread across his face. He was with a girl with black hair - his date maybe. "Linguini." The short man said with a sneer. "See, I _know _that he brings around a rat in the kitchen. And if I get proof of him with his little pest, I can fire him at last." The man turned and extended a hand. "They call me Skinner."

Olaf took the hand and shook it. "Olaf Snow." Skinner went back to watching Linguini and Olaf returned his gaze to Anna and the Andersen sisters. They were exchanging signs and laughing and drinking coffee. Nothing out of the ordinary. Or at least, nothing Olaf had any interest in. He didn't even know what he was looking for. But he was trying to look for, however, were reasons why Anna hung out with them. Not that he didn't want her with them, he just wanted to know why she was starting to spend more time with them than with him and Kristoff and the others. And why the redhead was trying to learn sign language. He kept his gaze trained on the trio as they continued making signs and drinking coffee. It continued until 9:30 PM, until he saw the three stand up and say their goodbyes.

_You totally missed it! Mulan got us a big discount because her husband, Zhang, was the manager of the joint! Damn, there were lots of Chinese food and they were all good and we were all stuffed! _Kristoff texted Olaf and the mere thought of Chinese food made him hungry._ Find what you were looking for?_ Kristoff added.

_Not yet. _Olaf replied and got up from his seat to go home and try again some other day.

* * *

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _ANNA _-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

* * *

"I hope that you've understood a lot of signs today." Elizabeth prompted as they stood from their seats. They've been in the cafe for a good two hours, and in that time period, Anna was able to learn more signs than she would from reading a book for two hours. "We'll continue tomorrow. Don't be late." Elizabeth said with a smirk.

"I won't." Anna replied. They walked back to the parking lot to get into their cars, making small talk along the way. Elsa even tested Anna to see if she memorized the signs as they walked back to the parking lot. Once at the parking lot, they got into their cars and Anna rolled down the window and waved her hand - the sign for 'goodbye'. Elizabeth and Elsa rolled down their windows and returned the gesture. Elizabeth told Anna 'good night' in sign and Anna returned the sign. Elsa and Elizabeth smiled approvingly and they rolled up the window of their car and drove off. Anna put her foot on the gas and drove into the night and headed home so that she could plop on her soft bed and get some sleep.

* * *

**Sorry for the late update, I've had a lot of things on my plate so I've been really busy. Not to mention that I'm writing two fanfics at the same time... And once again, it's 1:00 AM (I should really stop updating at such late times) and I could feel the bags under my eyes. Hehe...**

**Also, I'd like to thank you all for liking this story lots. 200+ followers already! I like you all too. You people stay (HA) cool!**

**/#/ Exi /#/**


	6. Chapter 6

**- SIX -**

* * *

:~:~:~:~:~:~:~: _ELSA _:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:

* * *

Elsa, Anna, and Elizabeth were in the same cafe again, resuming their lessons on sign language. Elsa was sipping on a latte and watching as the redhead tried to imitate the signs Elizabeth was showing her. Sometimes Anna messes up and Elsa makes it her task to correct the redhead by showing her how to properly make a sign and she would sometimes even take Anna's hands and mold her fingers into the correct shape of the sign, or show her hands what to do, where to go, or which path to take. Much like taking control of someone's hands and arms to teach them to dance. And every time she took Anna's hands in hers, she could feel a heat rising to her cheeks as her hands enclosed around the redhead's warm knuckles. She could swear that she saw flashes of red across the redhead's cheeks whenever she took her hands in hers. And that happened often.

And the whole time, Elsa kept her eyes on Anna's pink lips. Whenever Anna had a conversation with Elizabeth, she would concentrate on Anna's lip movements and try to read them. Which was a horrible mistake since she was bad at reading lips. So Elizabeth would often translate for her and Elsa found out that the subject of their conversations were often jokes or funny stories about life in the office. Like that one time their boss, Duke Weselton, dropped his glasses. And when he bent over to pick them up, the comb-over that hid his bald head fell down and the entire office had to try hard to stifle their laughter. Or when Olaf Snow tricked Kristoff Bjorgman into thinking that the next day was Casual Day. Kristoff came to work dressed in casual attire which was well out of the formal dress code. He stuck out like a sore thumb and the boss even chewed him out on that.

After Anna has told her jokes and stories, they would resume with the session and Anna began to improve on the signs Elizabeth was showing her. And sometimes, Anna would use a sign Elizabeth hasn't taught her yet and Elsa would explain to her sister that Anna borrowed a book from the library. Anna then added that she borrowed some DVDs on sign language and that she would practice every night. Elsa admired Anna's dedication to learning sign language, but why the redhead was so interested in learning sign, Elsa didn't fully understand.

Every now and then, Anna would make a mistake, and Elsa was eager to show the redhead's hands how to do it correctly. Elizabeth would keep on showing Anna signs and ask her to replicate a certain set of signs after a certain amount of time to see if the redhead remembered. Elsa would continue on reading the book she borrowed from the library whenever she isn't needed to correct the mistakes Anna makes, but her eyes would dart up to glance at the redhead every now and then. And sometimes, she catches something suspicious behind Anna.

Due to her deafness, her other senses were enhanced to a degree as her body's was of compensating for what it lacks. Her sight improved as a result and were put into more practice since it requires spatial knowledge and depth perception to accurately read signs. She saw two figures sitting at a table way behind Anna - both of them donning khaki trench coats and sunglasses. Very suspicious since it was night and no one had need for sunglasses or trench coats at this time of day. Elsa squinted and focused on the details of the two figures' exposed heads - one had curly, brown hair and the other had wavy, blonde hair that looked oddly familiar. And it looked as if they were watching them. Elsa pulled her phone from her pocket and composed a message: _Look behind you. Those two in the trench coats, I think they're watching us. _She pressed the send button and watched as Anna took her phone from her pocket and read her message. She looked over her shoulder and messaged back.

_I think I know who they are._

Elsa watched as Anna dialed a number and put the phone to her ear, a smirk and a scowl creeping along her face.

* * *

[+[+[+[+[+[+[+[ _KRISTOFF _]+]+]+]+]+]+]+]

* * *

"Remind me why we're here again?" Kristoff prompted after some time of keeping his eyes on the trio of girls doing nothing but sipping on coffee and exchanging signs. "And why we're wearing trench coats and sunglasses _at night_. Don't you think that's a bit conspicuous?"

Earlier today, immediately after work, while Kristoff was finishing up and getting ready to go home, Olaf appeared and asked him if he wanted to go with him. Kristoff questioned the web developer's motives to which Olaf answered that they were going to go watch Anna and the Andersens. Kristoff pointed out to Olaf that it was considered stalking and that he wanted no part in his stakeout, but Olaf convinced him with a hundred-dollar bill. Now, Kristoff was regretting his decision of accepting the bribe because if he hadn't went. With Olaf, he would have been home eating pizza and watching TV while laying back on the couch after a long day of work instead of watching three girls drinking coffee and exchanging signs for hours.

"We're watching them." Olaf replied without even glancing in his direction. "I'm going to see why she's gotten a sudden interest with the Andersens."

"You seriously have to get this stalking problem under control." Kristoff answered. "And why are you watching her anyways? What're you gonna gain from it?"

"I have my suspicions and my reasons." Olaf answered back without really telling Kristoff what Olaf was thinking.

Kristoff returned his gaze to the three and watched as the blonde one's thumb pressed the screen repeatedly. He watched as Anna pulled out her phone from her pocket and slide her finger across the screen. For a moment, Anna's gaze fell on him and Olaf, and they were both frozen for a short time as a reaction to the redhead they were spying on when she suddenly turned and looked straight at them.

"I think she found us." Kristoff said quietly to Olaf, who was now using a newspaper to cover his face.

"Don't talk nonsense, I find that highly-" Olaf was cut off when Kristoff's phone rang. Olaf swallowed and spoke in a shaky voice. "Improbable."

Kristoff pulled his phone from his pocket and stared down at the icon of Anna set for her contact. The redhead was calling and now, both of them were nervous.

"Kris," Olaf began in a warning tone. "Don't."

But Kristoff already slid his finger across the screen and put the phone up to hiss ear despite Olaf's warning. He swallowed a lump and spoke shakily. "Anna?"

Anna screamed into the phone and Kristoff withdrew from the device, his ear ringing from the loud volume of the redhead's high-pitched scream. They looked to the table where Anna and the Andersen Sisters sat and found three pairs of icy blue eyes tinged with anger, looking into their soul. Especially Anna, who was scowling at them and laughing from Kristoff's reaction to her scream. They casually waved hi at the two, all three of them with mischievous and angry smirks - especially Elizabeth, whose mere cold glare was intimidating enough.

"_WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU MORONS DOING?!_" Anna shouted into his ear and he flinched and cringed at the redhead's loud and angry tone. "_WHY THE FUCK WERE YOU WATCHING US?"_

Kristoff cringed again and removed the phone from his ear to rub his ear which was hurting from Anna's shouting. He looked around nervously, trying to find something to put the blame on. His eyes landed on Olaf, who was looking straight back at him with a perplexed look. Kristoff put the phone back to his ear. "It wasn't me, it was Olaf!"

"What?!" Olaf snapped back incredulously.

"He was the one who made me come here!" Kristoff continued and Olaf started punching his arm. "I'm innocent! I had nothing to do with this! _He _was the one stalking you, not me!"

"Why are you pinning the rap on me?!" Olaf exclaimed.

"_BOTH OF YOU ARE DEAD!_" Anna shouted back and both of them flinched at the intensity of Anna's voice.

"Drop the call, Kris! Drop the call!" Olaf was shaking Kristoff's arm violently.

"_IF YOU PRESS THAT END CALL BUTTON, GOD FORBID THAT I GO THERE AND STRANGLE YOU!_" Anna shouted in reply, her voice clearly audible in the loudspeaker.

"Better not do it, Anna sounds pissed." Kristoff replied to Olaf and looked to the redhead, who was glaring at them in an intimidating manner. The two Andersen Sisters were glaring too, but Anna's was the one that was full of blistering fury. "And she looks pissed."

* * *

|0|0|0|0|0|0|0| _ELIZABETH _|0|0|0|0|0|0|

* * *

Elizabeth watched in amazement as a bout of colorful language spilled through the redhead's lips. Whom she thought to be a calm and playful girl because of her bright and happy demeanor turned out to have quite the violent side when ticked off. She and her sister Elsa watched wide-eyed as Anna continued to scold the two with a lot of very colorful language that would make even Mother Teresa want to drown her mouth with soap.

Elsa tugged at Elizabeth's shoulder and she turned her head to Elsa. She did a series of signs asking: _What's she saying?_

Elizabeth listened to Anna as she let out another bout of swearing. "You little fuckers!" Anna exclaimed into the phone and Elizabeth watched the two figures in the distance as they cringed under Anna's sharp tongue. "Don't you assholes have a life of your own? Stalking girls, low even for piles of bullshit like you!" Even Elizabeth felt like cringing at Anna's harsh words, and she would if she was the one getting chewed out.

Elizabeth translated Anna's entire sentence - including the more profane language - and Elsa stared wide-eyed at Elizabeth's hands with her jaw dropped as if to say: _Do you hug your mother with those hands? _Elizabeth chuckled and signed another sentence: _I know. Who knew that sunny redhead over here had a razor-sharp tongue?_

"Don't you fucking lie to me you bastards!" Anna exclaimed and Elizabeth was startled by the volume and harshness of her tone. "Kris already said you were stalking!" Elizabeth kept translating Anna's words into sign and all Elsa could do was stare at Anna slack-jawed. "Olaf, I swear to god, I will stab you in the motherfucking neck with a motherfucking knife!" Elizabeth translated and Elsa spat out her coffee in a spray of liquid. "What if I had restraining orders filed against you two?" Elizabeth laughed as she translated and Elsa burst out in a fit of laughter.

Olaf and Kristoff hastily got up and started t walk away. As they were preparing to leave, Anna shouted one last sentence into the phone. "I'm not done with you two numskulls just yet! The next time you stalk us, I won't hesitate to make your eyes burn with pepper spray!"

The two left, and there was an awkward moment of silence as Anna faced the group. "Wow." Elizabeth said in shock and amazement. "Anna, I never knew you had it in you..." Elsa did a series of signs which Elizabeth translated. "And Elsa said: _Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?_"

"Sorry, I only swear rarely and when I do, that happens." Anna smiled cheekily and ashamedly. "Speaking of, are there any signs for _those _words in ASL?"

"Yeah..." Elizabeth answered. "Why?"

"No reason."

Elsa did some signs and Elizabeth translated. "_You do realize that your cussing just attracted the attention of everyone here, right?_" They all looked around them to find everyone in the cafe staring at Anna wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Everyone was perfectly still, their eyes all trained on the redhead. A mother was even covering her son's ears with her hands as she stared at Anna with shock and contempt.

"Time to get outta here." Anna mumbled and rose and grabbed her purse, her face burning red with shame and embarrassment. Elsa and Elizabeth followed and Elizabeth left a little tip on the table. None of them even looked back as they left the vicinity, but they were sure that everyone there was staring at them as they went.

They headed to the parking lot behind the building. Anna hadn't said a word since that little outburst back at the cafe, so Elsa tugged at Elizabeth's shoulder. Elizabeth turned to Elsa and her sister signed: _Translate for me. That was great, how you chewed those two out with that sharp tongue of yours._

"Elsa said that it was great, how you scolded those two with that sharp tongue of yours." Elizabeth translated and Anna turned to them.

"You think so?" Anna replied and Elizabeth translated.

"_Oh sure._"

"Well, thanks, but I need to get going. That exhausted me and it's night, so will I still see you tomorrow?"

"'Course you will." Elizabeth answered. They said their goodbyes and entered their cars and drove off opposite directions to end the day.

* * *

**Did I go overboard on the swearing?**

**It's 6:00 PM here and at last I updated at a time that was not 1:00 AM. *laughs triumphantly* Also, it's raining here - making the evening a lot calmer. I love rain.**

**-ExiXIII**


	7. Chapter 7

**- SEVEN -**

* * *

:~:~:~:~:~:~:~: _ELSA_ :~:~:~:~:~:~:~:

* * *

The early morning sunlight filtered through the window blinds, creating horizontal strips of golden light on the walls of the bedroom, and the a ray of sunshine shone down on Elsa's eyes. Even though her eyelids were shut, the light still managed to penetrate through the layer of skin that protected her eyes, and dark green spots danced before the blackness of her vision. In an attempt to avoid the sun's intrusive light, she turned in bed, away from the window. But she turned too far and she ended up falling from the bed, landing on the floor with a thud.

The fall snapped her awake. Her eyes flew open and she sat up, her hand rubbing her aching head. She rubbed her eyes, stretched her arms, and yawned to get the rest of her weariness out of her system. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her sister stand at the doorway and she turned her head to her. Elizabeth was wearing a black tank top and cotton night pants. Her raven-black hair, which was usually spiky and jagged, was messy and disheveled and her eyes were wide open in surprise. _Did you fall off the bed again? _Her sister asked in sign.

Elsa cracked her knuckles and her neck, feeling the bones pop as she did so. _No, I'm just laying on the floor because I like it here._

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. _Yeah, you can do without the sarcasm. And you have a message._ She left her position at the doorway. Elsa stood and rubbed her aching back with one hand and took her phone on the nightstand off of the charger with the other.

It was from Anna. She swiped her finger across the screen and read the redhead's message while she went to the window and raised the blinds. _Hey, Els. Do you and Liz wanna go get some breakfast? I realized that you two were new here and that you've seen a small part of the city, so I thought: maybe you two would like a tour of Arendelle._

Elsa walked out of the room still dressed in her lavender tank top and light cotton pants and went down the hall, headed for the staircase that connected the second story to the first. The wooden floor was cold under her bare feet as she walked down the hall and reached the top of the stairs. She descended the stairs and stopped halfway down and found Elizabeth sitting on the red couch, her gaze trained on the television, which was on commercials. In front of her was a plat of biscuits and a cup of coffee She rapped her fist on the wall and Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and faced her. Elsa signed. _Anna just invited us for breakfast. Are you going?_

_I can't, I have plans._

Elsa's eyes went to the television set. _And do those plans involve TV?_

_Yeah, I'm gonna be watching a marathon of 'Hunchback of Notre Dame'. _Elizabeth replied and returned her gaze to the TV and back to her. _One of the people back at work suggested it to me_

_All right, have fun with that. _Elsa returned her gaze to the phone in her hand and sent Anna a message. _Yeah, I'm coming with but Liz can't since she's too busy with TV. What time do you wanna meet?_

Anna replied like lightning as her message reached Elsa before a minute even passed. _Okay. Remember that outdoor cafe we went to last Saturday? We could meet there at 7:30._

Elsa returned to her room upstairs and sat on the vanity near a corner of the room. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and looked at her morning face, remembering a line from a musical she once watched: _When people see me, they will scream!_ She could apply that line to her current situation. Her blonde hair was a mangled and disheveled mess of knots and tangles. Some strands and even clumps were sticking out in random directions and practically defying gravity. A trail of crusty dried drool was trailing down the corner of her lips down to her chin and there were still small pieces of the crusty stuff collecting on the edges of her eyes. She was an mess - like she was every morning after waking up - and she needed to fix herself before she went to meet with Anna.

She got into a nice, hot shower which really washed off her remaining drowsiness. She got out of the shower already fully dressed. She removed the towel on her head and she let her wet hair fall down, the wet, blonde locks glistening in the sunlight that spilled through the windows. She once again sat at the vanity and grabbed the brush and ran it through her hair effortlessly. The wetness of her hair made it easier for her to brush it. The knots and tangles in her long and voluminous hair were undid fairly easily. She styled it into her signature braid and slicked back her windswept bangs. At least she didn't look as not presentable as she did earlier.

She gathered her things in her purse and did her routine inventory, mentally checking off things in her mental checklist. She went out of her room and down the staircase again, shooting glances at her sister, who was still seated on the couch, her eyes still fixed on the TV. Elizabeth didn't even mind changing out of her pajamas. Or even fix her hair. She just sat there nibbling on the biscuits as she waited for her the disk she bought to load. Elsa rapped her knuckle on the wall and Elizabeth turned to her. _You sure you're not coming with? _Elsa asked in sign.

_No, I'm good. Have fun in your date with Anna. _Elizabeth answered.

Elsa was flustered by her sister's reply and a blush smeared itself on her cheeks. _It's not a date. _Elizabeth just smirked and raised her eyebrows indignantly. _I'm telling you, it's not! _

_Whatever you say. _Elizabeth replied with her smirk still on her face. Elsa left the house with a face as red as a lingonberry and she got on a taxi that led her to the venue Anna asked her to go to.

* * *

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _ANNA_ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

* * *

Anna was waiting patiently in the outdoor cafe she and Elsa agreed to go to. Why she asked Elsa to come with her? Mainly, it was to show her the city since she and her sister were new here. But there was another unfathomable reason why she invited Elsa to this little tour. A reason she can't quite put her finger on, much less understand. All she knew was that it was an emotion that was practically nagging at her and making her want to be around the Andersen sisters - mostly Elsa.

She snapped out of her thoughtful state when she saw a vehicle slowing to a halt near the outdoor cafe. The door opened and out came Elsa, dressed in a light blue shirt and jeans that hugged her slender figure really well. Her platinum-blonde hair glistened and gleamed when the sunshine hit the braid. She walked with poise towards Anna's table, and Anna's eyes were trained on Elsa's hips, which were swaying left and right in a mesmerizing motion as she made her way to the redhead. It wasn't until Elsa sat down directly in front of her did she realize that she was staring. She bowed her head and avoided Elsa's gaze as a fierce blush appeared on her cheeks and spread to her ears. _Damn, Anna, _she thought to herself, _you made the right choice, asking Elsa to tag along._

She nervously signed 'hi' to Elsa without looking up to meet the blonde's sparkling, arctic blue eyes. Elsa passed a note written on a piece of paper torn from a notepad to her, placing it just in her field of vision s that she saw it without even looking up.

_Hi to you too. Why are you looking down? _

Anna looked up slowly and met Elsa's gaze. The blonde's face was serene as always, and the smile that curled her red, pouty lips was enough to make Anna's mind go haywire. Now that she sat in such close proximity without the presence of Elizabeth or anything else to distract her, Anna noticed just how beautiful Elsa really was. And that completely scrambled her train of thought. Without Elizabeth or the learning of sign language to occupy her mind, new thoughts surfaced in her mind. Her mind was a chaotic mess of thoughts and emotions that Anna can't even pick one out and focus on it.

A hand tapping at her shoulder snapped her out of her stupor - the second one this day, all of them caused by the blonde. Elsa scribbled something in her notepad and passed it to Anna. _You okay? Is there something wrong?_

Suddenly and out of nowhere, Anna thought of impressing the blonde with her improved grasp of sign language. She'd been up until two o' clock in the morning, practicing communication with the hard of hearing. Anna had to concentrate to ignore the raging battle of thoughts in her subconscious and try to remember the signs she'd been practicing the entire week - which wasn't much, but enough to survive a basic conversation. Anna spoke in sign. _No, I'm okay. I was just thinking. _Anna mentally commended herself for not pausing too often to remember signs.

_Oh good. I thought you were ignoring me. _Elsa replied in sign. _Why did you call me here?_

_For breakfast. _Anna replied and tried to construct the next sentence in her mind, which seemed to have cleared up a bit after conversing with Elsa for a while. She forgot which signs to use, so she took the pen Elsa had laid out beside the notepad directly before her and she wrote her reply. _And to take you around town. Seems like you needed someone to show you around, but it's a shame your sis can't come with._ She passed the notepad to Elsa and the blonde's eyes moved left and right as she read it. A grin formed on Elsa's mouth, showing off perfect rows of clean, white teeth and Anna's restless mind was once again going crazy.

_Your proficiency on sign seems to have improved by a bit. Alright, what's for breakfast then? _Elsa asked through note.

_I've already made my order. _Anna answered through the passed notepad and handed the blonde one of the menus.

Elsa made her order and Anna relayed it to the waitress. Soon, the waitress returned with a stack of pancakes topped with butter and maple syrup, and a slice of apple crumb pie. Anna dug into the stack of pancakes and Elsa began to eat her crumb pie bite-by-bite.

The entire time, Anna was watching Elsa's lips. The crumbs of the pie that stuck to it as she chewed and how her tongue flicked out every now and then to lick away the crumbs. _That tongue, _Anna thought to herself as she once again avoided Elsa's gaze, _oh God, what she could do with that tongue... Wait, what?_

Elsa passed the notepad to Anna. Anna brushed away the crumbs on the surface of the paper and read the message written on the pad. _You look distracted. Are you sure you're alright?_

She recovered from the _third_ Elsa-induced stupor she had, and it hasn't even been thirty minutes since she'd met with the blonde. She passed the notepad back to Elsa. _Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just thinking._

_You seem to be in deep thought often._

_Yeah, I don't know what's going on with me._

_Are you experiencing any problems or difficulties at the moment?_

_Other than an absolute goddess staring back at me? _Anna thought as she stared into Elsa's clear, icy blue eyes. She saw a blush spread across Elsa's cheeks and the blonde's eyes failed to meet hers. Anna gave Elsa her reply. _None. Well, now that we're done, how about I get you on that tour of Arendelle?_

_Alright. _Elsa replied.

The waitress came to their table and gave her the bill. While Anna was rummaging in her purse to find her wallet, the waitress nudged her with an elbow. "Make sure you hold on to this one. Girl as pretty as her? They don't come around very often."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Anna stammered out as she tried to control the heat that was welling up in her face.

The waitress arched an eyebrow and smirked. "Passing notes? Getting all starry-eyed? I know what that means."

"We're only passing notes since she's deaf." Anna replied.

"Oh." The waitress answered back. "Well, you were still getting all starry-eyed whenever you're looking at the blonde miss right here. I know well what that means."

"I'm not, we're not..."

"_Right..._" The waitress said with a smirk on her lips. "Well, you ladies have a nice day!" The waitress collected the bill and the money - which included a tip - and walked away. Anna was left staring at her hands which were on her lap.

Elsa passed the note to her. _What was that about?_

_Nothing. Now, let's take you around the city. You've already seen the library, so 'm taking you where you haven't been to yet. I'm taking you to the museum, the mall, the theater, the park, all the sights Arendelle has to offer. _Anna passed the note back to Elsa and they stood at the same time. Anna hailed a cab and they went off to go wherever they want to.

* * *

:~:~:~:~:~:~:~: _ELSA_ :~:~:~:~:~:~:~:

* * *

Elsa came home exhausted from a day with the redhead - who was acting more awkward than usual. At least she had fun being taken around the city of Arendelle. It was night and the house was just as she left it. Elizabeth was still on the couch and Elsa doubted whether her sister moved at all since she was still dressed in her tank top and pajamas.

Elsa knocked on the door and Elizabeth turned to her quickly, surprise and exhaustion clear in her eyes. _How did the show go?_

_Everything took an unexpected turn. _Her sister replied. _Esmeralda got hung, Frollo was pushed off the cathedral, and Quasimodo died of starvation. I'm watching it again._

_Sounds like one dark show._ Elsa replied. _No wonder you're so into it._

Elsa climbed up the stairs and plopped into her bed, too exhausted to change out of her clothes. She immediately fell asleep as soon as she hit the soft and cool mattress, but the last thing that came into mind before succumbing to drowsiness was the redhead.

* * *

**This is **_**super **_**late. Sorry about that. It's just that I had to travel and that I was cut off from the internet for a time and that I had no time to write another chapter. But at least now, I can write more often since I've got nothing else to do now that I've just enrolled for college, hence the travelling. (If you're curious, I've applied for Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science. Yes, Biology and Chemistry, my two favorite sciences, combined!)**

**Also, that Hunchback of Notre Dame right there wasn't the one from the movie, it was the last parts of the book 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' by Victor Hugo, which explains why Esmeralda and Quasimodo are dead and why Judge Claude Frollo died from being pushed off the cathedral instead of falling into a pit of molten copper(?).**

**-Exi**


	8. Chapter 8

**- EIGHT -**

* * *

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _ANNA _-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

* * *

Today was casual day in the office and as casual day custom dictates, the employees can go in casual or semi-formal attire. Anna was dressed in an olive green polo shirt with a white logo of a crocus stitched over the left breast. She wore dark blue denim jeans and on her shoes were black sneakers. She was more comfortable in these clothes than she was in corporate attire, and she certainly liked wearing this set of clothes a lot more than her usual outfit for work, so she always looked forward to the monthly casual day.

Just as she took her place at her cubicle, the office's glass double doors opened and Anna's head automatically swiveled around to look at the ones who just entered. It was the Andersen sisters. Elizabeth was dressed in black-and-white-checkered button-up, black skinny jeans, and black sneakers. Her raven-black hair was styled in its usual jagged hairdo and a white hairband was on her hair. Black seemed to be a theme for the raven-black-haired Andersen. Anna's attention, however, was on the blonde Andersen.

Elsa sported a powder-blue shirt like the one she wore when they met last Saturday, except now, the shirt had white, snowflake accents here and there that were faintly visible against the light-colored fabric. Under the tee was a cerulean long-sleeved shirt whose sleeves extended to her wrists. She wore skinny jeans made of light-colored denim and her sneakers were white. If dark colors were a theme for Elizabeth's wardrobe, Elsa's was comprised of light colors that contrast that of her sister's. It wasn't the clothes that attracted Anna's attention, though. It was how the clothing revealed much about Elsa's slender figure. The clothes hugged her body and showed off her slender curves here and there. Anna found that her gaze was fixed on the blonde and that she couldn't find the strength of will to look away. Lucky her that Elsa wasn't looking in her direction, or else the blonde would have caught a glimpse of the deep red tomato that was her face.

_Goddammit Anna, keep it together. Don't you dare swoon and/or leave a puddle of drool on the floor._

Anna saw Elsa's head begin to turn and she immediately turned away to hide the flush that bloomed on her entire face. She fixed her eyes to her computer, not daring to look right or even shoot a glance in that direction lest she have her thinking scrambled by how attractive Elsa was. And she'd been noticing that she was infatuated by the blonde woman since Saturday, when it was just the two of them. Just the two of them going around town like a couple on a date. That mere thought was enough to make her mind foggy. She can't even concentrate on the cells in the spreadsheet as memories of last Saturday raced through her mind.

Her phone's vibrating in her pocket snapped her out of yet another Elsa-induced stupor. She fished it from her pants and she read the message the blonde had sent her: _Hey Anna. ;)_

Luckily, Anna's fingers were steady while she typed her reply. _Hello Elsa._ She shot sideways glances at the blonde as she read Anna's reply. Her eyes fell on Elsa's red lips as they curled into a smile. Finally, Elsa put her phone back in her back pocket and started to boot up her computer. Anna returned her gaze to her computer. Anna focused on the blinking cursor too try and get Elsa out of her mind because she really needed to concentrate on the task at hand. Soon, her mind was clear of any distracting thoughts of the blonde and she was working at the spreadsheets like before the Andersens entered the office.

After a few minutes, her previously restless mind has relaxed. SHe heard a faint song being hummed in the cubicle beside hers, and without thinking, she immediately looked to her right to inspect the source of the cute humming sound. It was from Elsa. Her arctic blue eyes were fixed on the computer screen as her fingers tapped on the keyboard and as she hummed a quiet song. Anna had never heard Elsa's voice before, but if the blonde's humming was this pleasant to the ears, she assumed that Elsa might have a beautiful voice to match her beautiful appearance.

"Hey, Anna," a voice said and Anna's head swiveled to track the source of the voice. It was Kristoff, dressed in a gray shirt and jeans made of navy blue denim. He was leaning against the wall of her cubicle and looking slack and relaxed, as if he wasn't fearing the wrath of the chicken with the face of a monkey should he find him not working in his cubicle.

"Kris. What are you doing here? Old man Weselton might chew you out again." Anna warned and returned her gaze to the screen.

"Relax. He's not as uppity as of the moment. Remember, month-end was last, last week, not this week, and he seems to have lightened up a bit." Kristoff reminded the redhead.

"So, what brings you here?" Anna prompted. She knew she should have been more mad a the blonde for their little stalking misadventure last week, but she already forgave her two best friends. Her anger at them has been alleviated. She was the kind of person who forgives easily.

"Nothing. Just wanted to ask about what's going on between you and Elsa over there."

Anna immediately froze. Her fingers on the keyboard stopped in place and a key was held down by her finger. A row of 7's trailed behind the blinking cursor, which was now moving rapidly forward. "What?" Anna managed after she swallowed a lump in her throat. She was sure that her face was burning up.

"Well, you two have been spending a lot of time together, and when you look at her..." Kristoff trailed off, then spoke again. "You look at her with this sense of longing..."

"And what qualified you to make that statement?" Anna stammered out, trying to ignore the words Kristoff used to describe the way she looks at Elsa. And she wasn't even aware of how she looked like whenever she gazed upon the blonde. "Are you some sort of love expert?"

"No," Kristoff admitted. "But I have friends who are."

"Okay then, Mr. Friends-With-Love-Experts. You were saying?"

"I'm saying that if you were Oaken, you would have went 'Hoo-Hoo!' whenever you looked at Elsa."

"What? Like a greeting?"

"No, like that time Oaken met Helga."

Anna suddenly realized what Kristoff was saying. "Excuse me, sir. I am _straight._" Anna answered, not even sure if what she said was lie or truth.

"Oh yeah?" Kristoff challenged.

"Yeah! In fact," Anna said and she grabbed a plastic ruler from the pencil holder that sat on top of her desk. "I'm as straight as this ruler!" And in the most unfortunate of times, Anna remembered that the ruler she grabbed was of the bendy variant and the ruler bent by a degree, leaving Anna to stare at the ruler in disbelief and Kristoff had a smirk growing on his smug face.

"That doesn't look very straight." Kristoff laughed. "I saw the way you ogled Elsa when they first got here. And the way you looked at her earlier. Damn, Anna. I didn't know that you batted for the other team!"

"I don't! I'm straight!" Anna protested.

"Like that ruler?" Kristoff joked.

"No! Nothing like this ruler!"

"Right. While you rant about your 'straightness,'" Kristoff said as he made air quotation marks, "I'm just going to stay here and tell you how hella gay you are."

"I'm not hella gay!" Anna protested.

"Yeah. Totally not gay. You didn't look anywhere near gay when you looked at Elsa like some love-struck tomato last Saturday." Kristoff said and both his and Anna's eyes widened immediately.

"How did you know about last Saturday?" Anna said with a cold edge to her intimidating voice.

"What about last Saturday?" Kristoff nervously stammered. Anna sneered and Kristoff gulped. "It wasn't me, it was Olaf! He made me come with!"

* * *

"Oleoresin Capsicum." Ariel said as she searched the medical cabinets in the clinic. Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff were in the clinic. Anna was fine, though she cannot say the same for the other two. "Pepper Spray." The nurse continued. "Nasty stuff. Burns really badly when it gets in the eyes."

"Oh look at that, I've been pepper sprayed." Olaf said sarcastically as his hands moved to his eyes, which were shut tight as tears trailed down his cheeks. Kristoff too.

"I'd suggest not scratching your eyes. Only makes it burn worse." Ariel faced Anna, who was sitting on a chair, watching the two men suffer. "How did this happen?"

"Well, they were stalking me and Elsa gain, so I had to do it." Anna answered innocently.

"Did you really have to spray us?" Kristoff protested.

"Didn't I tell you two that I'd spray your eyes with pepper spray the next time you stalked us?"

"Olaf stalked you too?" Ariel asked and looked to the web developer. "Serves him right." She pulled out a bottle of no-tears baby shampoo from a cabinet.

"Why were you stalking us, by the way?" Anna asked.

"You were spending a lot of time with the Andersens," Olaf hissed as his eyes continued to burn, "that I just thought that you didn't want to hang out with us anymore." He said that sadly, and it sounded genuine. Olaf may have been many things, but he was always truthful and supportive. Even though he was a super-smart web developer whose brain was practically made of lines and lines of code, he was also the naïve and fun-loving friend. "I just wanted to know why you were hanging with them so much."

Anna's anger was wiped away by the scrawny guy's apology and her expression softened. "Well you could have just asked me. I was with them because I was learning sign so I could communicate with Elsa better."

"Why the sudden interest in the blonde girl?" Ariel asked as she proceeded to use the baby shampoo to remove the oil of the Oleoresin Capsicum.

"Anna's hella gay." Kristoff joked.

"I knew it!" Olaf exclaimed.

"I am not!" Anna yelled.

"Yeah, I noticed that too." Ariel added. "She's even more awkward than usual whenever Elsa was around."

"Ariel, come on, you too?" Anna said exasperatedly and Ariel grinned and shrugged.

"Well, Elsa's the kind of person who can make people question their sexuality." Ariel answered. "She can turn straight girls gay with just a look. Like some sort of gay Medusa."

"As her sister," Elizabeth's voice said and all four looked to the raven-haired woman who stood at the doorway, carrying a folder. "I can confirm that to be one-hundred percent true. I know some girls back in Norway who swooned for Elsa."

"Hey Liz." Ariel greeted.

Elizabeth waved at the redheaded nurse and her gaze moved to Anna. "And it looks like you're one of the people who have fallen under her spell." Anna sighed and Elizabeth laughed. "By the way, Anna, would you like to join me and Elsa for lunch later?" Elizabeth invited.

Anna looked to Olaf and Kristoff. Olaf looked down and Kristoff looked like he was about to laugh. "Thanks, but no." Anna replied. "I'm going with these two."

"Alright." Elizabeth said. "Bye, you guys." Ariel and Anna waved goodbye at Elizabeth as she walked away.

"That should do it." Ariel said as she finished. "There'll still be some irritation, so don't scratch your eyes. That'll only make it worse. Blink a lot. Tears will help in eradicating the oil. Also, eye drops."

"Well," Anna began, "it's about time for lunch. You two going anywhere?"

"The usual." Kristoff said and the three of them left the clinic and went out of the office to partake in their lunch hour.

* * *

:~:~:~:~:~:~:~: _ELSA_ :~:~:~:~:~:~:~:

* * *

Elsa and Elizabeth sat at the same table together. Elsa's gaze kept moving to Anna, who was sitting at a different table with her fiends, Olaf and Kristoff. Elsa appreciated Anna's outfit as it really suited her. The way her clothes hugged her figure well and showed her slim, petite figure and the way the short sleeves showed off her toned, freckled arms. Elsa liked that a lot, which is why her gaze kept flicking to the redhead to catch glimpses of Anna. Elizabeth tapped Elsa's shoulder twice and her attention moved to her sister, who said in sign: _Let me guess, you have a thing for Anna, don't you?_

_I do not! _Elsa protested.

Elizabeth smirked._ Right. Well, you still haven't told me about your date with her last Saturday._

_I keep telling you, it's not a date!_

Elizabeth laughed. Even though she can't hear her, she knows her sister laughed because she can see Elizabeth's shoulders shaking as her mouth parted with a grin. _Okay, okay, not a date. Just tell me about it._

_First, we met at this outdoor cafe. _Elsa signed. _Though not the one we've been regularly going to. She doesn't want to go anywhere near that place again, according to her._

_I can see why_. Elizabeth replied. _Carry on._

_So her and I were in this cafe, and she invited me there for breakfast and a tour around town. _Elsa explained as she remembered that event of that day. Anna was wearing a sleeveless white top that revealed the freckles on her shoulders and along the length of her tan arms. She was wearing knee-length shorts too, and that article of clothing showed off her toned legs that were peppered with freckles. Elsa always had a thing for freckles and red hair, and as she flash backed to that day, she imagined what it would be like to count every individual freckle on Anna's body with her lips (or her tongue). Elsa immediately brushed that sudden and surprising thought away. Little did Elsa realize that she'd been describing Anna's appearance to her sister while she was busy imagining.

_'The way that blonde streak in her hair glowed when the sun struck it, the freckles that peppered her perfectly tanned skin,' sounds like you got it and you got it bad._ Elizabeth replied as a smirk curled at her lips. _Tell me more about your day out._

A flush bloomed at Elsa's cheeks, which she was sure was pretty obvious due to the deep shade of red being in contrast to her pale skin. She tried to remember the events of that day and where they went. _First, she led me to the museum. It had a wide array of collections, art, natural history, history. The Arendelle museum certainly has a lot to show. _She remembered the museum. Its polished marble floors with red carpets like the ones celebrities walk on, walls of white marble and columns constructed of thee same material. Replicas of famous paintings hanging on the walls and facsimiles of prehistoric fossils protected inside cases of glass, and copies important documents perfectly preserved behind frames. Her and Anna followed a crowd as they trailed behind a tour guide, and Anna had the job of telling Elsa via text message what the tour guide was saying. Elsa remembered how precious Anna's pout looked like. She was like a bored little child, only bigger. And prettier.

_Really? Now I wish I had gone with you two. You know, to see that museum and just how cute Anna's pout is. _Elizabeth signed with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Elsa mentally slapped her forehead for she had unknowingly described Anna's natural beauty again. The blush on her cheeks grew even fiercer, and she was sure that her face looked like a giant lingonberry.

_You were busy watching 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'. Was it good? _Elsa asked.

_If you're into Gothic-themed stories._ Elizabeth answered. _But enough about that. You wont want to see me ramble on all day about that show. But I do want to see you ramble on about your day with Anna._

_Googolplex Mall was pretty big too. _Elsa recalled the mall Anna led her to. The redhead certainly seemed enthusiastic as they went around the enormous establishment and browsed the various shops that were collected inside the mall. Elsa remembered clearly how Anna's eyes lit up and how her lips parted in a grin whenever she found something interesting, and how her face fell when she realized that she didn't have enough money to purchase anything. But the redhead looked perfectly satisfied with just browsing the shops' collections. Elsa knew that she was going on and on again about Anna because she saw the grin that grew on her sister's smug face.

_Well, don't stop. Tell me more!_

_We went to the theater and the park next. Nothing much happened there since the theater had no plays at the moment, and we just went for a walk in the park._ Elsa went on and Elizabeth looked interested, as if she was waiting for something. _No, we didn't kiss. _Elsa signed with a deadpan look on her face.

_I wasn't expecting you to. You're the kind of person who doesn't kiss on a first date._

_It's not a date! _Elsa protested.

_Fine, fine, not a date_. Elizabeth replied and she looked to Anna and her friends. Elsa did as well. The three were leaving, which meant that they should be going back to the office too. They stood and started for the door.

_Don't worry, we're having another lesson on sign language later on like the usual. You'll get to see more of Anna. And I hear that she's single and gay. _Elizabeth teased as they passed through the air curtain and felt a blast of air blow against the top of their heads.

_Stop. I'm not attracted to Anna that way. _Elsa protested, though she wasn't at all sure whether or not that was entirely true.

She watched Elizabeth laugh along the way to the office.

* * *

**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter.**

**-Exi**


	9. Chapter 9

**- NINE -**

* * *

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _ANNA _-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

* * *

"Where are they?" Anna asked no one in particular as she continued to pace the park grounds. It was Saturday and she was called here by Kristoff and Olaf because they said that they needed help with something there and that they would share the pay with her. She'd been waiting in the park for an hour, waiting and pacing and practically stomping at the grass repeatedly out of frustration when her friends didn't show up.

She fished her phone from her pocket and began composing a message when the most unexpected of surprises happened. And quite the nice surprise as well. Into her line of vision entered a pale girl with vibrant, platinum-blonde hair fixed in a stylish braid that hung over one shoulder. She was dressed in a crystal-blue shirt and jeans that had a deeper shade of blue. It was Elsa. And she seemed to be walking towards her with an expression on her face that was the combination of confusion, amusement, and suspicion.

_A-N-N-A?_ Elsa signed in fingerspell with her eyebrows quirked – an indication for a question asked. _Nice to see you here._

Anna felt a flush bloom on her cheeks. _Well, K-R-I-S-T-O-F-F and O-L-A-F called me here. _Anna replied, looking around and searching for any sign of the two. _They said they needed help with something. Though they aren't here yet and I've been waiting a long time._

Anna and Elsa stood there in the awkward silence broken only by the chirping of the birds and the rustling of the leaves as the wind blew through the tops of the trees. Anna kept shooting glances at Elsa, who was looking around the park.

_Looking for someone? _Anna asked and noticed that Elsa's attention wasn't directed at her at the time. She stepped forward and reached for Elsa's shoulder, which she tapped twice. Elsa's bright, blue eyes moved to her and she felt weak at just staring into the blonde's startling eyes. She noticed that she was staring and she repeated her message.

_Well, waiting, actually. _Elsa replied with a questioning look on her face.

Now that Anna has stopped her pacing, the pain of walking around for an hour has finally occurred to her. Her repetitive pacing distracted her from the stress she was applying on her legs, and now she finally realized just how tired her legs were. _Why don't we go sit for a while? My legs are killing me._

Elsa smiled brightly and gestured toward a bench situated underneath a tree's shade. Anna enthusiastically ran to the bench and sat, eager to relieve the stress on her muscles. Elsa giggled as she calmly and elegantly walked to the bench, Anna's eyes once again on the mesmerizing sway of her hips.

The silence between them turned more awkward and Anna retrieved her phone from her pocket and played a game to relieve her boredom. Elsa pulled a book and her reading glasses from her purse and read. Anna couldn't help but shoot a glance towards Elsa's direction every so often. She had a thing for glasses. And Elsa wearing glasses was enough to hold her attention. And with every glance, Anna's eyes fell on a certain feature of the blonde's face. Her almond-shaped face, her startling, blue eyes, her red, pouty lips, even the rosy pink blush on her cheeks.

_Am I gay? _Anna asked herself, doubting her sexuality. _Nah, she's just really, _really_ pretty._

Anna returned her gaze to her phone and tried to get those thoughts out of her head as she tried to distract and convince herself that she was straight.

* * *

|0|0|0|0|0|0|0| _ELIZABETH _|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|

* * *

"Looks like they're not doing anything, even when left alone in such close quarters." Elizabeth commented as she watched the couple from afar with a pair of binoculars as she sat behind a bush. "I don't think this is going to work."

"It has to." Olaf replied. He, she, and his blond friend were the ones that planned this event. After noticing how the two were obviously gay for each other, they just had to put those two together. Elizabeth even commented that what they were doing was basically shipping.

"Yeah, look at Anna. She's already looking flustered." Kristoff added.

"And it looks like she's in denial." Olaf replied.

"Both of them look like they're in denial." Elizabeth pointed out. "Elsa's not the kind of person who makes the first move. We're just going to have to wait for Anna to do so."

"Then we have a problem there." Olaf said. "Anna's not that kind of person either."

"Then we're getting nowhere quick." Kristoff commented. "That and it makes the bet uncertain."

"Bet?" Elizabeth asked out of curiosity. "What bet?"

"Olaf bet me a hundred dollars, saying that Elsa was the one who'll make the first move." Kristoff answered as he scratched the back of his head. "I thought he'd have chances because Anna isn't the one who asks people out."

"And now, seeing that both of them are the ones who wait, we just don't know." Olaf added.

"You placed bets on them?" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down!" Olaf warned. "They might see us!"

"Both of you shut up." Kristoff whispered loudly. "I think Anna heard us. She's looking around. Tsk. She just went back to playing with her phone and Elsa's still reading. I don't think we're getting anywhere."

"Time to execute phase two." Olaf said and fished his phone from his pocket. He put it up to his ear and waited as the phone dialed. Elizabeth watched Anna put her phone to her ear.

_Olaf? _The voice of Anna came from the phone which was on loudspeaker. _Where are you guys? I've been waiting a long time!_

"Oh, hey Anna. Sorry about that." Olaf said in a mock apologetic tone of voice. "Hey, listen, that thing we told you about, it's been moved to a different location. Rather, the one who asked us for help gave us incorrect details."

_What?_

"Yeah, he just called. He said that he gave us the wrong address by mistake." Olaf added and Elizabeth kept watching the two. "Remember that restaurant ran by Mulan's husband? The Golden Dragon? Yeah, he told us to meet him there. "So we'll see you there? We're headed there right now."

_Fine. See you there._

Olaf dropped the call and Elizabeth watched Anna sign goodbye as she stood and left. Elizabeth composed a message.

_Hey Els, sorry about keeping you waiting, but I found something awesome here at The Golden Dragon and I think you have to see it!_ She sent it to Elsa and she watched as she read it.

_What is it? _Elizabeth received her sister's reply.

_It's a surprise! _She replied and she watched as Elsa stood and left the scene as well.

"They're on the move." She pointed out as she faced the two other members of her team. "Maybe we should, too."

"We better make it there quick and so do they." Olaf said with urgency. "We have to make it there in time or else this part of the plan won't work."

"What are you planning this time?" Kristoff and Elizabeth asked in unison.

"Trust me; this one's going to be good." Olaf said as he rose. "So come on, it's this way! Let's go get those two together!"

* * *

The trio reached the location in time, just before Anna and Elsa entered the scene.

"Remind me again why we are here?" Kristoff asked.

"This place is optimal for my plans." Olaf answered. "The setting, the placement of the shops, all of it is perfect."

"What exactly are you planning?" Elizabeth asked as they took their seats at the café that was located near the restaurant.

"Rain." Olaf answered. "I found some weather predictions earlier and it said that it would rain soon."

"So how's rain going to help us?" Elizabeth asked. "I think you've been watching too much romance movies."

"No, it's all on how Anna reacts to rain." Olaf pointed out. "If you knew a bit of Anna psychology, you'd get the gist of what I have in mind."

"Okay, lay it on me."

"Anna's bound to find shelter from the pouring rain once it starts. And she'll often go where warm drinks are served."

Elizabeth's eyes widened in understanding as she looked to the café. "She'll go here?"

"Probably." Olaf replied. "If that happens, we can expect them to share a cup of coffee or hot chocolate because that's how Anna works. She always shares coffee or hot chocolate with someone."

"That'll get them together?" Kristoff asked.

"Hopefully. Hopefully, they'll realize that they're gay for each other in that setting."

"Over a cup of coffee?" Elizabeth criticized with a raised eyebrow and a skeptical look.

"It could work." Olaf answered. "Oh, oh, here they come."

* * *

:~:~:~:~:~:~:~: _ELSA _:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:

* * *

_It's one weird event after the other… _Elsa thought to herself as she continued to stare at the redheaded girl standing in front of the Chinese restaurant. The girl who was dressed in a green button-up and dark blue denim jeans. Anna kept glancing at her wristwatch and her gaze would fall to the time piece every now and then. _I happen to meet her at the park, and now, I meet her here, of all places._

_Why do I have this strange suspicion someone's watching us?_

She walked along the paved sidewalk and Anna, who must have heard her footsteps, turned around and faced her with a surprised and curious look on her face. _E-L-S-A? _Anna prompted. _What are you doing here?_

_L-I-Z told me to go here. _Elsa replied, almost using the name sign for 'Elizabeth' when she realized that Anna still didn't know her sister's name sign, or what a name sign even is, for that matter. _How about you?_

_O-L-A-F and K-R-I-S-T-O-F-F told me to go here. _Anna answered, spelling out their names in fingerspell.

_I really have to teach her name signs. _Elsa thought to herself. _Maybe next time._

She stood next to Anna and felt a cool breeze on her face and she watched wisps of fiery red hair fly back from Anna's head as the wind gently blew on her braids. Elsa kept looking to Anna every so often, taking in the details like the freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose and even her arms, the fullness of her lips, the sparkling blue of her eyes, things Elsa has noticed before, but never fail to capture her attention.

_Wow, she's really beautiful, in an awkward sort of way… _Elsa thought to herself.

_Did I just think that out loud?_

_By the way, where _is _Elizabeth? And why do I have the strange feeling that there's something at work behind all of this?_

A drop of water that fell on her skin made her break away from her thoughts as he attention moved to the liquid that fell on her skin. She wiped it with her index finger and another drop fell on her skin. And another. And another. Pretty soon, the light drizzle escalated into a downpour, and Elsa forgot to bring an umbrella.

She felt a hand taker hers. It was from Anna. Elsa blushed at the sudden contact and Anna dragged her across the street in the pouring rain. Elsa watched Anna as she laughed. She can only watch her laugh with joy rather than actually hear her gleeful laughter. Anna dragged her into a nearby café, and by the time they got there, their clothes were wet, but not too wet.

_You okay? _Anna asked. Elsa nodded in reply. _Good. You want something to drink? Something from the menu?_

_A cup of hot chocolate would sound nice. _Elsa answered.

_That's what was on my mind too! _Anna said. _Why don't you go find us some seats while I go order some drinks?_

Elsa went to look for a vacant table and found one by the window that was practically a wall made of glass. Anna returned with two cups of hot chocolate in tow and she offered one to her as she sat opposite of her.

_Who knew that it would rain?_ Anna asked after staring out the window for a while. Beads of water cascaded down the glass making trails of water that Elsa sometimes traced with her finger.

_Yeah, what a surprise. _Elsa answered without really looking away from the window. Two drops were now going down the glass, and for some odd reason, Elsa loved watching those drops roll down.

_That one's going to win. _Anna pointed out a drop on the window.

Elsa smirked and pointed to another one. Anna was seemingly thinking the same thing. _No, that one is._

Anna's drop won and she did the sign for 'haha'. _Looks like I won._

_Looks that way. _Elsa replied and she looked at Anna, who was staring at her interlaced hands that lay on the table.

Anna looked up, a fierce blush on her cheeks, and signed. _Hey, E-L-S-A, there's something I've been meaning to tell you._

_What is it? _Elsa asked.

Anna looked away, her face as red as a lingonberry. _Well, the thing is, I find you really pretty. Totally not homo! You're just, really, _really _pretty._

_Then why are you telling me this? _Elsa asked in sign and put her hand on Anna's, which lay flat on the table.

_I just find you really pretty in a non-homo way._

_Did you really have to comment on how pretty I am? And in that manner?_

_Okay, maybe a bit of homo. Okay, maybe not just a bit, but a lot of homo._

Elsa put a hand up to her mouth and giggled and she watched the redhead's face redden further. _Tell me more._

_Well, the thing is, if you're free, oh I don't know, next Saturday, maybe you could- we could go somewhere and-_

_So, basically, you're asking me out._

_That's what I'm saying. _Anna replied and immediately looked down. _I know, I'm a useless homosexual klutz, but-_

Elsa took Anna's chin and raised her head so that their gazes met. _A-N-N-A, a date would sound lovely._

_Wait, what?_

_I guess that makes us both lesbians._

Anna looked confused. _I'm sorry, I didn't get that last one._

Elsa smirked and she spelled out the last word. _L-E-S-B-I-A-N-S._

Anna's mouth rounded in an 'oh' and they both laughed soon after, doing the sign for 'haha' as they chuckled. _I guess it's a date!_

* * *

**Looks like Kristoff won the bet.**

**Hey, hey, sorry for this über late chapter, I think I've experienced the greatest writer's block I've had yet. And I've found that the intensity of a writer's block is directly proportional to the time spent procrastinating. I just underwent a long phase of lack of motivation. No, I'm not depressed, I was just really lazy. I just needed some me time since it's my summer vacation and I've been spending a huge amount of time in front of the word processor and I needed to rest a bit ****and it got out of hand and my time off extended itself by days, and yeah. I'm rambling again.**

**-Exi**


End file.
